Legacy
by Lady Mayflower
Summary: The legend of Spyro the Dragon is a long and complicated one, told and untold as the lore passed from game company to game company. Today, the pieces are being put together to create the true telling of the hero of the Dragon Realms.
1. In the World of Dragons

_Hi, Dragon Realms! My name's Mayflower, and in my failing promise to make this the summer of fanfiction, I've finally finished the first chapter of my newest story - a Spyro piece! Now, in case the story's summary didn't give you the introduction I was hoping (curse you, character-limit!), allow me to elaborate slightly. This is an off-shoot piece of my Kousei series, a line of fanfictions where I take some of my favorite stories and series and...re-write them to grow them up and round them out more than they were when I was a kid. Now, say what you want about the Spyro series as a whole, but I think I speak for the majority when I say the continuity fell apart after Year of the Dragon. So here I am - I want to take the stories of our little purple dragon, even the ones after his adventures in the Forgotten Realms, and see if I can put them together a little bit better, as well as add some flavor that might've been left out of the gaming adventure._

_Alright, I'll quit blathering - on with the story! Hope you guys enjoy! :)_

**LAWYERBOT SAYS: "Dragons rule!"**  
>Spyro the Dragon, both the game and the character (c) Universal Studios and Insomniac. I don't know who currently owns the Spyro legacy, as I don't believe it's rightfully theirs, seeing what's happened, but whoever it is, they're lucky people, and it's not me.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 1 - IN THE WORLD OF DRAGONS<strong>

There are five worlds in the realms of the Dragons, each one harboring its own secrets, powers, and special types of dragon folk. There are the Artisans, which may not be as skillful as their brothers, but make up for their lack of power with a grace, spirit, and heart unfound anywhere else in the Dragon Realms. The Peacekeepers, ironically enough, are the soldiers and generals of the Dragon Realms, raised with strict rules, even heads, short tongues, and old-fashioned dragon brawn. The Magic Crafters, quite the opposite, were the calm and quiet of the bunch, always entranced in the magical world around them, quite content to dream the day away in their secluded mountain paradise. The Beast Makers are...well, to put it politely, known for being a bit less refined than the others, their character usually defined as warm, loving, and a bit rough around the edges - the salt of the Realms. The Dream Weavers...well, what on earth could be said about the Dream Weavers? Their imaginations are constantly running wild, and they live each day with silliness and mirth...and their runaway dreams certainly leave their mark in the world of the Dream Weavers.

These are the five worlds in the realms of the Dragons...though the older, wiser dragons will tell you otherwise.

"Yes, there's a sixth world out there, most certainly," Astor rambled, brandishing a paw in the air. "But no dragon around is going to tell you about it, no-HO, sir!"

One of the young Artisans, a small purple dragon with fiery horns and matching wings, boredly pawed at the ground (good God, did he HATE spending time with the elder dragons), but the other dragonlets seemed completely fascinated by the elder dragon's tale.

"What's the sixth world like?" one of the young girls in the front asked. "Is it pretty like the Magic Crafters world? O-Or colorful like the Dream Weavers world?"

"Oh, no, little missy - there isn't a dragon for MILES around there," Astor laughed. "The sixth world belongs to Gnasty Gnorc 'n his...eh, gnorcs - the Dragon Junk Yard, that's where he's at."

"What's a gnorc?" another of the dragonlets asked.

"What's a gnorc? You mean to tell me you youngin's don't know what gnorcs are?" Astor paused for a moment, stroking his beard. "Hmm, now what's a gnorc?..."

"Why's he in the Dragon Junk Yard?" a third dragonlet asked.

"Oh, Gnasty's one nasty little fella!" Astor jumped, getting back into his fervent story. "He used to live around here - moved out to the Magic Crafters after he got tired of digging through the swamps in Terrace Village! Oh, but they weren't having that - Cosmos started throwin'a fit, what with him breaking the rules, drooling on our dragon treasure, usin' his magic for no-good mis-deeds and whatnot. Yep, Gnasty was one nasty fella! So the five dragon leaders said 'enough is enough, Mister Gnorc!', and they shipped him out to the Junk Yards."

Astor slowly knelt down to be more on-level with the young dragonlets, lowering his voice to a dramatic whisper. "No one's seen him since, but they say he's plottin' to take over the Dragon Realms REAL soon. He could be anywhere, come up at any time...**LIKE RIGHT NOW!**"

All of the baby Artisans (with the exception of the purple one, who remained as poker-faced as ever), shrieked in panic as Astor let out a massive roar, all of them skittering away to find various hiding places in the Elder's Cave. The elder dragon had a good laugh, slowly pulling himself up to return to his plushy chair. "Oh, you kids are so easy to scare - does my heart good sometimes."

"I ain't scared of no gnorcs," the purple Artisan scoffed, hopping up on all fours (as younger dragons were unable to walk on their hind legs until they were much older and bigger) and trotting out of the cave. "Let Gnasty come, I'll take him on." He jumped and charged through the air, landing with a light 'thud'. "Ain' nothing these horns can't handle."

"Spyro, is that you I hear being arrogant in here?" one of the Dragon Leaders of the Artisan Lands, a large red dragon named Delbin, asked as he peeked his head into the cave.

"No, I just ain't scared of monsters or anything like the rest of the dragons," Spyro answered with a flick of his tail, strutting out of the cave.

"Astor, were you telling the dragonlets scary stories again?" Delbin scolded, going into a long lecture about how he shouldn't be tarnishing the minds of the young dragons that Spyro was lucky enough to completely miss.

"Oh, yeah, that's not you being arrogant at all," buzzed a little golden dragonfly, who quickly flew to Spyro's side as he exited the Elder's Cave.

"Hey, it's not my fault I'm better than everyone else," Spyro smirked. "Come on, Sparx, you're the dragonfly of one of the most kick-butt dragons in the Artisan Lands - I thought you'd be more excited."

"I'd be more excited if there was actually stuff for us to do," Sparx buzzed unenthusiastically.

Spyro paused - unfortunately, his dragonfly-brother had a point. It was quite difficult to prove yourself as the greatest dragon warrior ever during times of peace, even if you went to the war-torn Peacekeepers worlds (and they certainly tried that, much to Delbin's upset). "Yeah, I guess," he sighed.

"Spyro, hold on a second!" The purple Artisan and his trusty golden sidekick stopped with matching sighs as the thudding footsteps of Delbin ran up behind them and knelt down in front of them. "Astor doesn't have you worried about Gnasty Gnorc, does it?"

"Pfft - please," Spyro laughed. "I told you, Gnasty can bring it on - I'm sure he's nothing a little horn-charging and butt-torching can't handle."

Delbin rolled his eyes. "I should've expected an answer like that out of you, Spyro."

"Come on, you're my dad - you of all people should know me better than that," Spyro continued to tease.

Delbin smiled, playfully pawing at the young purple dragon (a challenge he knew Spyro enjoyed, as it gave him the chance to show off his strafes, jumps, and barrel rolls). "I know, I know. I just want to make sure you know that you won't have to worry about anything like that for a long time, okay?"

"Alright, alright, I get it already," Spyro finally conceded with a laugh, finding himself trapped on his back under Delbin's paw, which easy covered his entire underbelly. "No Gnorc-hunting 'til I'm older."

"That's my boy," Delbin continued to smile, releasing his hold and allowing Spyro to roll to his feet. "Come on - now that Astor's done scaring the rest of the dragonlets, how about you and I head to Stone Hill to practice your gliding?"

Spyro unfurled his golden-orange wings with a frown. His gliding was getting better by the day, but it still seemed to sour him that he couldn't fly like the full-grown dragons - his skill was even lacking compared to the other dragonlets, but the full-growns (including Delbin, who never dared to say it to the purple Artisan's face) simply pinned it to Spyro's unnaturally-small size for his age.

But as the purple Artisan learned through long sessions of ramming metal boxes and setting scarecrows on fire, practice makes perfect - he would figure flying out before too long. "Okay, yeah, let's go!"

oo00oo00oo

Meanwhile, tucked away in the Dragon Junk Yards - Gnorc Gnexus, as it was renamed, Gnasty's World - a certain Gnasty Gnorc found himself tuning into the DNN, watching interviews from the various elder dragons in celebration of another anniversary of peace.

"Ugh, these dragons disgust me," Gnasty spit, polishing the magic gemstone on his Crafter Staff. "Look at them, frolicking through their fields of sheep, celebrating their _anniversary of peace_. If they had any real guts, there wouldn't BE an anniversary of peace."

_"Oh, yes, it's been peaceful here in the five worlds...or is it six?...f-for a dragon's age now!" Astor rambled to the cameras. "We're up to twelve-thousand treasure...or is it fourteen?" _(The Gnorc smirked - it WAS twenty-thousand, but he made sure to fix that before leaving the world of the Beast Makers.)

_"Now what about this, uh...Guh-nasty Guh-norc character?" the interviewer asked. _(Gnasty scowled - silent G's, was it really that hard?) _"I understand he's found a magic spell to turn gems into warriors for his cause."_

Gnasty sneered at the mention of his magic. "Good, they haven't forgotten that those Magic Crafters aren't the only ones who know how to work a spell or two." His obsession with the Dragon Treasure and desperation for someone to lead led him to discover the spell after his banishment - with a wave of his Crafter Spell, any Dragon Treasure before him would transform into little mindless Gnorcs that did anything and everything he commanded. Quite a handy spell to have around.

_"I'll take that question," a blue dragon named Lindor stepped in, brushing Astor away from the camera. "You see, Gnasty Gnorc is a simple fellow..."_

"Simple?"

_"He's being contained in a remote world, and is NO threat to the Dragon Kingdom..."_

"No threat?"

_"And besides," Lindor added with a laugh, hushing his voice, "he is UGLY."_

"UGLY?" the Gnorc shrieked, jumping to his feet. "OH, THAT DOES IT!"

He waved his massive Crafter Staff, sending shockwaves and light-beams of green energy throughout the Dragon Kingdom. "I'll show THEM who's no threat to the Dragon Kingdom!"

oo00oo00oo

Spyro was extremely proud of his jumping abilities. Despite his smaller size (or perhaps even due to it), Spyro was extremely fast, and his super-powerful legs could handle any jumping or running challenge you threw at him.

Put said jumping challenge over water, though...

"Augh, I'm drowning!" Spyro spluttered, desperately trying to claw his way out of the Artisan's Waterfall Pond. "Delbin, help me out!"

"Come now, Spyro," Delbin laughed, "you can't expect to be the greatest dragon warrior ever if you can't handle a little pool of water."

Spyro eventually clawed his way out of the water, dropping onto the grass like a wet dog and panting exhaustedly, a grassy-green Sparx landing right beside him. "I can't swim," the purple Artisan reminded his guardian. "I don't think that's something they care about in dragon warrior school."

"You'll learn," Delbin chuckled, herding a pair of sheep towards the dragon-in-training. Spyro shook himself dry, then spit a blast of fire towards the bouncing fodder - as all fodder did in the Dragon Realms, they exploded into twin puffs of smoke, releasing a pair of small, pink-and-yellow butterflies. Sparx quickly flitted into the air, chasing down the delectable treats, returning to his natural golden glimmer.

"I don't think I'll ever understand how this dragonfly-butterfly thing works," Spyro couldn't help but muse as he watched his partner chase down his meal. Despite having Sparx since the day he was hatched, the purple dragon still never quite figured out how Sparx getting a full meal made him feel better, just as how his getting hurt would cause Sparx to change color.

"The Dragon Realms are filled with all sorts of magical mysteries," Delbin answered. "Perhaps later, you'll come to understand them, but for now, it isn't your concern. Your concern right now should be mastering this jumping challenge."

"Yeah, yeah," Spyro scoffed, turning to face the pond once again. At first glance, it wasn't difficult - the Waterfall Pond was a small pool filled with five stone pads, and all Delbin had asked him to do was to hop from stone to stone, making sure to land on each one before hopping off. Were this challenge up in the air or out on the grass, Spyro would've finished it ages ago. The challenge, of course, was the water.

With a deep breath of preparation, Spyro tried again. He kicked off of the grass and, with a slight panic flap of his wings, landed on the first of the stone pads. He hopped to the second, then the third, then the fourth. As he began his hop to the final pad, though...

_Pew! Pew-pew! Pew! _Blasts of green energy began to rain down from the skies, sending every sheep and dragonlet in the area running for their lives, shrieks of little dragons filling the Artisan air. Spyro, thrown off by the sudden harsh sounds, veered off-course, just barely landing on a previous stone-pad before barrel-rolling back to shore.

"Whoa - Delbin, what was-?" Spyro began to ask, freezing with a gasp when he looked up at his guardian. Where Delbin was just sitting, a green dragon statue now stood, frozen in place. As Spyro looked around, other dragon statues littered the Artisan world - and where the Dragon Gems once decorated the lands, now tiny green monsters began marching around, chasing sheep and trying to sniff out the dragonlets that had gone into hiding.

"Hey, Spyro?" Sparx buzzed.

"Yeah, Sparx?" Spyro answered with a gulp, examining the dragon statue, seeing his own shocked reflection in its cool, green shine - no sign of Delbin.

"Y'know how we're constantly wishing something kind of bad would happen, just so we'd have something to do?"

"Yeah..."

"I think this counts as our something kind of bad happening."

* * *

><p><em>Drama! And Easter Eggs abound for anyone super-familiar with the original Spyro classic - spot them? Next time, our Artisan heroes begin on their quest to free the crystallized dragons and rescue the Dragon Realms from the rampage of Gnasty Gnorc! Hope I'll see you here, guys! Remember, reviews make writers happy! :)<em>

_**_§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §_**_


	2. The Adventure Begins

_Hi, guys! I'm back! :D Augh, you have no idea how badly I've fallen in love with this story - I haven't put it down for days. XDD Finally, I realized "you know, I should probably stop writing and actually post a new chapter", so here it is! Thanks to everyone who's been picking up the story - according to my traffic stats, this is my second most-visited (not counting some of my older stuff) - and an extra thanks to Flowerstar for my first review. _

_Just to get a few quick notes out of the way, since they were brought up in said review: yes, I want this to be a recreation of the Spyro games (at least, most of them up to the Legends trilogy), but it's still a fanfiction. I want to embrace my freedom of taking creative liberties, especially when it comes to filling in things the game didn't explain, like Spyro's backstory or the history and inner workings of the Dragon Realms. My job with this story is to patch things together, especially with everything falling apart after Year of the Dragon, and most of all, make something that you guys enjoy reading. Trust me, I know my Spyro canon, and for anything I don't know, I'm constantly consulting with the Spyro wikia to double-check things. This is my interpretation - roll with it like you would in any other story, okay? :)_

_...That being said, I DID make a mistake in the last chapter. :D; But I'll leave it up and see who catches it. And no, color-mistakes don't count, because my vision is horrendous, and color-blindness may or may not run in my family - I don't know any better, and I'm not hiring a beta-reader to proofread my knowledge of the color-wheel. XD  
><em>

_Alright, got all of that noise out of the way - let's get back to the action!_

**LAWYERBOT SAYS: "I really need to come up with more witty one-liners concerning dragons."  
><strong>Spyro the Dragon, both the character and the video-game (c) Insomniac Games. Still not sure who's currently ruining the character, but I'm sure they know who they are. Point is, it's not me. If it actually becomes important, I might put effort into looking it up.

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 2 - THE ADVENTURE BEGINS<strong>

"Delbin?" Spyro was hesitant in getting any closer to the statue than he already was - he wasn't exactly one to take the slow and careful route, but something told him that dealing with green light-beams shooting from the heavens wasn't the place to be reckless.

"Spyro, it's a statue," Sparx buzzed. "It's not gonna answer you or anything."

"I know, I know!" Spyro snorted, his stubborn attitude overtaking the feeling of shock. "Lay off, I was having a moment."

Frustrated, the purple Artisan took a blind swipe at the statue with his claws. At the touch of his paw, though, the statue flashed brightly, beginning to shake and crack. Caught off-guard once again, Spyro hopped a few steps backwards, Sparx hiding in the somewhat-safety behind one of his dragon-brother's ears.

After a second flash of light, Delbin reappeared, stretching his arms and wings with a groan. "Ugh, what happened?"

"Yer askin' the wrong dragon, Delbin," Spyro shrugged.

Once his bearings were regained, the red dragon looked around Artisan Square, seeing the small monsters and other statues scattered around. "...Gnasty's work," he said to himself quietly.

"Gnasty Gnorc did this?" Spyro exclaimed. "Alright, sounds like a party! Where's he-"

"Oh, no, Spyro," Delbin interrupted. "Not a chance. You're going to go find where the dragonlets are hiding and stay with them."

"Oh, you're KIDDING me," Spyro whined. "Delbin, Sparx and I have been waiting for something like this to happen forever! Come on, I can handle that gnorc! At LEAST let me go around and save the dragons or something!"

Delbin paused, looking back and forth between the statues and the young Artisan in front of him. "...Alright, Spyro, I'll give you that. Go to the different homes of the Artisans and find as many of the missing dragons as you can - I'll fly ahead to the other worlds and see if I can find out what's going on."

"If I find all the dragons, can I come with you?" Spyro asked excitedly.

Delbin sighed. "Alright, fine, I'll arrange for a balloonist to take you to the Peacekeepers world, but ONLY if you finish finding the dragons here in the Artisans first, understood?"

"You can count on me!" Spyro assured, sitting down to lift a paw in salute (a little thing he picked up during his past escapes to the Peacekeepers World.)

"Whatever you do, Spyro," Delbin warned as he stretched his wings and took off into the skies above, "BE CAREFUL."

Spyro sat back and watched his guardian float through the clouds. "Sparx, ol' pal, I think this is the beginning of the best adventure ever."

oo00oo00oo

Later that night, the dragon-duo found themselves running around the Dark Hollow - after finding all of the dragons in Artisan Square and the Stone Hills, this was the next home on their checklist. So far, the day had gone pretty well - the gnorcs Gnasty had created from the Dragon Treasure were complete pushovers; most of them were roughly Spyro's size, and ran away like wussies any time the young dragon even got CLOSE. Talk about an easy job - why was Delbin so worried about him getting hurt?

"Alright, gnorcs!" Spyro called out as he rushed into the Dark Hollow circle. "Time to-huh?"

As expected, their entrance was quickly met with Gnasty's underlings, but these ones, just as terrified as the ones in the Artisan homeworld, were cowering behind sheets of shiny, uncut metal.

"Wow, you guys are pathetic!" Sparx laughed.

"Seriously, this is sad," Spyro echoed, casually trotting up to the shaking shield. As he had done in the Artisan homeworld, the purple dragon took in a huge breath of air, found his inner dragon fire, and let loose a hot flash of flame, expecting the gnorc to simply feel the burn and fall over.

The metal heated up to a bright, glowing red, then quickly cooled down - the gnorc hiding behind it was untouched. Upon realizing his lucky save, the creature peeked its head out and laughed; they learned earlier in the day that they were incapable of speech, but they were quite cocky if you allowed them to live long enough to show it.

Frustrated, Spyro dug his claws into the ground and charged forward, ramming the metal with his unforgiving horns. The fire-proof shield quickly gave way, and the dragon's momentum carried the attack through, his horns digging into the shrieking gnorc, causing the magic to die out and turn it back into a sparkling five-piece gem.

Realizing the key to defeating their clever shield trick, Spyro repeated the process with the remaining two gnorcs. "Great, so now some of them have fire-proof shields," the dragon tsked frustratedly.

"NOW I get why Delbin had you breaking down so many of those metal chests," Sparx buzzed. "Good thing you're such a hard-head!" he added in with a laugh.

"Oh, hahaha, you're SO funny," Spyro scoffed (though with the slightest hint of a smile) as he continued rushing through Dark Hollow. He hopped up the stairs, which led you to the top platform, the essential Hollow gliding spot, and...

"_Grah!_" The purple dragon just barely stopped short of falling into the Hollow arena, which at the moment was crowded with an immense gnorc, one that stood almost as tall as the full-grown dragons. It growled and snarled, even after seeing Spyro up above him, angrily brandishing his club as if challenging the small dragon to battle him.

"Ooh, good luck with this one, Spyro," Sparx buzzed nervously. "I'll be up here, looking for fodder."

"Thanks for the confidence-boost, Sparx," Spyro said with a roll of his eyes. "Come on, this guy's probably just as push-over as the rest of them." Once again, the young Artisan dug in his claws, pushed off of the edge of the arena, and knelt his head, aiming his deadly horns straight at the opposing gnorc...

...Who simply sat there as Spyro's charge bounced off of his girth, laughed, then beat his club down on the young dragon's head while he was disoriented from the rebound.

Panicked, an electric-blue Sparx guided the dizzied Spyro away from the arena (one of the many ways a dragonfly protects his dragon). Once the Artisan was removed from his sight, the not-so-bright henchman forgot about his prey and went back to protecting the arena. "Yeah, here's an idea, let's NOT try that again."

"Shuddup, Sparx..." Spyro groaned slurredly, wavering from side to side as he tried to regain his footing. "I c'n take 'im down, he ain' that big...I jus' gotta aim better, that's all..."

"Well, shoving your horns into his fat isn't gonna do anything, so don't try that one again."

The purple dragon eventually regained his bearings, shaking off the dizzy feelings and returning his attention to the foe at hand. "Well, if charging won't work..."

It was worth a shot, right? Once again, Spyro charged after the massive gnorc (causing young Sparx to cover his eyes in fear), but rather than going in with the horns, he pulled up just short of the gnorc's stomach and let loose another burst of flame. The gnorc, unable to handle the heat, shrieked before falling flat on his back, disappearing in a poof of smoke and becoming a ten-piece gem.

"Alright, scaredy-fly, you can look now," Spyro laughed, returning to his dragonfly-brother.

"Who was scared?" Sparx buzzed snappily, quickly uncovering his eyes and putting his hands on his hips. "I wasn't scared!"

"Whatever you say, Sparx."

After clearing out the rest of the gnorcs and finding the other dragons, Darius mentioned that he saw Oswin heading down below the Hollow before Gnasty's attack, so down into the depths of the Hollow Underground they went in search of the last Dark Hollow dragon.

"Alright, best dragon-warrior ever," Sparx buzzed as the dragon-duo ducked behind a lamp-post (plenty convincing cover when dealing with gnorcs) to puzzle out their newest enemy. It was another massive gnorc patrolling the tunnels, similar in size to the one Spyro torched in the arena, but this one was wearing a suit completely made of that fire-proof metal. "How do we beat THAT?"

"Give me a second, I'm working on it," Spyro shot back, his navy eyes looking everywhere for something that would give him an edge. Torching that metal armor would be no good, and charging right at him would definitely lead to a repeat performance of the arena. There had to be something around - it was a gnorc, there had to be some kind of weak spot or something he could take advantage of, right?

"Hey, that'll do it," the dragon snickered as the patrolling gnorc turned around - while his front was covered head-to-toe in metal, his backside was completely exposed. Being careful to...actually, no, of course he wasn't being careful. The purple Artisan dug in his claws and rushed forward as fast as he could charge, then jumped up and unleashed a burst of flame. The gnorc, clearly caught off-guard, gave a pained groan as it fell to the ground, rewarding Spyro by reverting back to a five-piece gem.

"That's how the best dragon-warrior ever takes care of business," Spyro smirked, arrogantly whipping his tail.

"Oh, you got lucky - these things are dumb as rocks," Sparx pointed out, as one of his duties as Spyro's dragonfly was to constantly deflate the Artisan's fiery ego.

"Oh, whatever," Spyro laughed. "Come on, let's clean this place out and call it a day."

oo00oo00oo

The next day, Spyro and Sparx picked up their adventure in the Town Square, continuing their adventure of freeing dragons, collecting gems, and getting into charging matches against the local bulls, which appeared to have been enchanted by Gnasty...though they were doing a better job of harassing the gnorcs than being a threat to Spyro.

"Spyro! Spyro!" The purple dragon slowed to a stop, just about done with his adventures in the Square, and looked up to find Delbin's brother Alvar dropping from the skies, having just been freed a bit earlier. "Spyro, have you seen a man dressed in blue running around here?" he asked, panting heavily.

"No..." Spyro answered slowly, fairly certain he would've noticed one of those running around. "Why?"

"There's a thief in Town Square, Spyro!" Alvar shrieked. "And that miscreant's stolen one of our Dragon eggs! If you see him, PLEASE, get that egg back, whatever you do!" The red dragon coughed, still trying to catch his breath. "Ugh, I tried to catch him myself, but I'm not that fast anymore...ugh, I've gone and winded myself trying..."

"Whoa, whoa, back up," Spyro jumped, unable to believe what he just heard. "Someone stole a DRAGON EGG?"

"Unfortunately, that happens during times of chaos like this," Alvar sighed. "There's a pack of thieves that for one reason or another just LOVE swiping eggs from the fairy dens where they're hidden until the Year of the Dragon. I'm sure you're plenty familiar with being carted around by one of those rascals, right, Spyro?"

The purple Artisan fell quiet. "...Wait, what?"

Alvar paused, then bit his tongue upon realizing what had happened. "Uhm...no, nothing, not my place - talk to Delbin about it when you get back to the Artisans, I need to get back to finding that thief!" Before Spyro could question his guardian's brother any further, Alvar took to the skies once more, leaving one lonely purple dragon extremely confused.

"What in the world did that mean?" Sparx buzzed.

"I don't know - we can talk to Delbin when he gets back from the other worlds," Spyro shrugged. "Come on, we got us an egg-thief to find!"

It didn't take them long.

"Nyeh-nyeh-ne-nyeh-nyeh! Heehehehee!" No sooner had Spyro and Sparx climbed to the Town Castle, which lead to the Town Plateau, did he see a flash of blue rush past him - a smallish creature with beady little eyes, wrapped entirely in blue cloth, carrying a small, pink ball.

"That's the thief!" Sparx buzzed. "I'd recognize a dragon egg anywhere!"

"Then the game is on," Spyro smirked, digging his claws in and taking off.

The purple dragon, being the speedster that he was, quickly caught up to the blue-robed thief. The trickster heard the stampeding footsteps behind him, and with a panicked "oop!", took off in a blazing run to get away. The game of cat and mouse actually continued for a few laps - through the castle corridors, sharp left at the plateau, hop off of the ledges, rush through town, climb back up to the castle, rinse, repeat. Spyro had to give his newest enemy some credit - it had been a long time since anything could ever run him ragged, but even the almighty purple speedster was panting a bit after a few rounds with the elusive thief, who wasn't showing the slightest sign of fatigue.

Pulling in as close as he could get (before the trickster got wise and spun around on him, which already happened twice), Spyro was suddenly struck with an idea of how to slow down the runner once and for all. Though getting his breath was difficult after so much running, the dragon managed to swallow a lungful of air, then right at the perfect moment, right at that sharp left leading to the plateau, Spyro fired a blast of flame at his nemesis.

The thief took the blow with a "oof!", tripping over his cloths and dropping the dragon egg as he disappeared in a 'poof' ("Why doesn't anything die normally in this world?", Sparx couldn't help but wonder). The egg in question, light pink and spotted, floated down to the ground gently before disappearing - likely a fairy spell meant to return it to the dens if it were removed prematurely.

"Man, that was a workout," Spyro sighed, collapsing onto the ground to rest his legs and catch his breath.

"Wow, Spyro, you really are one of the fastest dragons in the realms!" Sparx couldn't help but fawn. "That was awesome!"

"Of course it was - I'm awesome, that means everything I do is just as awesome."

oo00oo00oo

After a brief siesta in the Town Square, Spyro and Sparx returned to the Artisan world...just in time to see Argus rushing by when they returned to the Artisan Circle. "Hey, Argus, what's up?" Spyro shouted, chasing after the blue elder.

"Not now, Spyro," Argus dismissed. "Gnasty Gnorc's found out about the dragons being released, and he's sent a small army into the Artisans to destroy whatever's working against him."

"Gnasty's goons?" Spyro scoffed. "No problem - where they hiding?"

"No, Spyro, you're not following - Gnasty's after YOU, none of us want to see you hurt. The other Artisan elders and I can handle it - stay back, whatever you do." The elder disappeared around a corner, leading to a small sheltered area in the Artisans, then disappeared into a portal decorated as a large dragon's mouth.

"These elders don't know us very well, do they?" Sparx buzzed with a roll of his eyes.

"Not at all," Spyro sighed with a shake of his head. "So, shall we not listen to a word Argus said and run in there?"

"Sounds like a plan to me!"

"Then come on, let's go!"

oo00oo00oo

This new home - likely not a home at all, just a false portal installed via Gnasty's magic to give his newest minions a base - was already filled with the sounds of battle the second Spyro and Sparx landed. The sun was now low in the sky, painting the clouds an eerie red color, and the full-grown Artisan dragons were hard at work pushing back Gnasty's minions. The deranged sheep-herders, like the ones Spyro found lurking in Stone Hill, were proving no challenge, but there was a new form of gnorc that was. Grey sheepdogs covered the battlefield - they left nasty bite-marks on any dragon who dared swipe or headbutt them, and they seemed to simply shake off flame-blasts (the first time, anyway).

"Geez, what a me-" Sparx began to buzz.

"Quiet!" Spyro hushed, lowering down as he quietly padded his way through the chaos. "We gotta find Gnasty - if the Dragon Elders catch us, they'll ship us right back home, so shut up."

Sneaking through the battlefields didn't prove to be difficult - Spyro's small size made him hard to spot as it was, so add in the sheepdogs keeping the elders distracted, and the purple dragon's rush through the war was fairly simple.

Eventually, the duo found their target - a large cloaked figure with a witch's hat and a pumpkin for a head, swinging around a scythe that was probably as big as one of the dragon statues.

"Alright...whatever your name is!" Spyro called out as he charged into the arena. "Prepare to be toast!"

The cloaked figure said nothing - instead, with a wave of his scythe, one of the vicious sheepdogs ran out from hiding, charging at Spyro with an angry, slobbery bark. Luckily, the purple dragon took note from watching the dragon elders outside - right before the sheepdog caught up, Spyro unleashed a breath of flame, and while the dog recoiled and shook soot out of its eyes, he torched again, putting the pup out for the count.

Panicked, the cloaked figure ran to another part of the arena and waved his scythe again, this time cueing a pair of sheepdogs as opposed to just one. The two dogs began charging right at the same time, which gave Spyro just the opening he needed to torch them at the same time. One dog recovered faster than the other, so it was a simple torch-and-roll to defeat that dog, then duck out of the way of the other's pounce and finish him off as well.

...However, that left him exposed to the third sheepdog hiding right behind them, which jumped in at the first chance it got and knocked the young dragon down, taking a huge bite into his leg. With a shriek of pain, Spyro panic-flamed, which pushed the sheepdog off for a moment, but before Spyro could get up to recover, it struck again, leaving a nasty set of scratches on Spyro's side to match.

Luckily, before the dog could strike a third time, Spyro barrel-rolled until he had space to breathe, then stumbled to his feet as he let loose another blast of dragon-fire, which got the dog out of his way for good.

"Okay, time to finish the job!" Spyro snapped, fighting past the pain in his leg and sides and charging towards Gnasty's chief henchman. Before the pumpkin-head could slip away to another arena, the Artisan dragon grabbed hold of his cloak with his teeth, pulled as hard as he could, and...

_Baaa!_

...was incredibly surprised to find, of all things, a sheep on stilts.

The so-called gnorc scurried off in a panic as its pumpkin, hat, and cloak fell away, clearly horrified of the fate that was fast approaching. After the moment of disbelief that Gnasty Gnorc ACTUALLY thought dressing up a sheep would be a good idea, Spyro took off charging as fast as his injured leg would run, easily catching up to the fodder in disguise and sending it tumbling to the ground, where it quickly met its match against Spyro's fire breath.

The purple Artisan breathed a heavy sigh of relief, the rush of adrenaline fading, causing his leg to collapse underneath him and force him into a laying-down position. "Man, that was rough," he panted tiredly.

Unfortunately, the battle wasn't over. But Spyro missed the rest of it - after closing his eyes for just a moment, his world went black with a heavy force on his back and one simple sound.

_Ar-ruff-ruff!_

* * *

><p><em>To everyone who made it through that massive chapter, congrats. XD Sorry to pile a lot on you guys, but I'm trying to use a 'homeworld per chapter' method, at least for this game, since Spyro 1 doesn't give a whole lot of room for adventure apart from torching gnorcs and collecting gems, which are both fairly boring to read about. The next few chapters are looking to be a bit shorter, and the story will slow down when I start my adaptation for Spyro 2 and have a little more room to play.<em>

_You know what's a great way to celebrate pushing through a massive chapter? Leaving a fantastic review. :D Tune in next time for more Spyro action, and if you're looking for an extra kick of dragon action, head over to my profile and check out my Writing Challenges! (No, I am absolutely not above shameless plugs. :D) Later, loves!  
><em>

_**_§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §_**_


	3. Keeping the Peace

_Hello, Spyro fandom! Mayflower here! Sorry this took me so long to post - my world's been absolutely spinning lately, to the point where I've really been too busy, tired, and sick to do much of anything, including write and post fanfiction. Hopefully, though, this delay is over - things are starting to calm down a bit, and my summer vacation's just been extended an extra month, which gives me more time to relax and get back to writing._

_As usual, thanks to my reviewers - Flowerstar and ForestRunner - and to everyone who's reading the story quietly!  
><em>

_Before we get to the chapter, though, quick note: it's been pointed out that I made yet ANOTHER mistake in the last chapter, so you know what? Keep searching for them - ultimate bragging rights goes to the reviewer who can find the most! I'll post all of the caught mistakes at the end of the first Avalar chapter, so keep your eyes peeled while we run through the rest of Spyro 1!_

_And now, on with the show!_

**LAWYERBOT SAYS: Wow, it's been a while. ._.  
><strong>Spyro the Dragon, both the character and the game, (c) Insomniac Games. It's been brought to my attention that Spyro is currently owned by Sierra Entertainment, Inc.; there's your one mention, Sierra, congratulations.

** WARNING: **In case it needs to be stated, yes, this is an adaptation of the Spyro games - one that is NOT spoiler-free. As time goes on, I'll be revealing secrets to accomplishing some of the games' harder tasks (the first is rescuing Maximos in Dry Canyon, which appears in this chapter), so if you haven't finished the Spyro games and don't want to know how it's done or what happens, read on with caution.**  
><strong>

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 3 - KEEPING THE PEACE<strong>

The Artisan eventually awoke, despite all of the aching muscles in his body demanding otherwise. Every scale on his body felt like it was on fire, with stabbing pains in his wings, sides, and leg. "Ugh, what hit me?" the young dragon groaned as he tried to climb to his feet.

"Careful, Spyro," Nestor warned. "You took quite a beating back there - don't strain yourself unnecessarily."

Spyro managed to turn his navy eyes up to the green elder standing before him. "Nestor? Wait..." After a moment, flashes of his battle against Toasty and the sheepdogs returned to him, and he hopped to his feet in a panic. "Wait, where's Gnasty? Are the gnorcs still in the Artisans? Did-"

"Calm yourself, Spyro," Nestor urged, carefully repressing a laugh at Spyro's tizzy. "Don't worry, we cleared Gnasty's minions out of the Artisan Lands - the area's completely gnorc-free, and now that the dragons have been released, the other elders and I are making sure it stays that way."

Spyro breathed a sigh of relief as he laid back down, giving his tender muscles a rest. "What on earth were you doing, anyway?" the green dragon had to ask. "Argus says he gave strict instruction for you not to follow into the battlefield."

"Hey, I beat Gnasty's big, scary sheep, didn't I?" Spyro argued.

"Right before getting mauled by a loose sheepdog," Nestor countered. "If Saffron and Sparx didn't come and find Nevin, who knows what would have happened to you?" Saffron was one of the Dragon Fairies, namely the one in charge of keeping the peace in the Artisans. Early on, she decided to tag along and keep an eye on Spyro, should anything happen in his quest to free the dragons. The purple Artisan had barely noticed she was there - he'd have to remember to thank her next time they ran into each other.

"Sorry, I wasn't trying to get eaten," Spyro apologized.

Nestor sighed - Delbin was the one best at talking Spyro down from his high-horse, so he wasn't exactly polished in the art of pep-talks. "I understand that you're trying to help and you've been itching for an adventure for quite some time, Spyro, but you have to understand that even though you THINK you can do everything yourself, sometimes it's better to just ask for help. You're an important dragon, Spyro - you can't just throw yourself into danger recklessly."

The green elder tsked, noticing that his words were quite clearly going into one of Spyro's ears and right out the other. "Just promise me you'll be a bit more careful when you go on to help the trapped dragons in the Peacekeepers World, will you?"

"Peacekeepers? ...Oh, right, that!" Spyro suddenly remembered. One thought triggered another, and suddenly his encounter with Alvar replayed in his head. "...Delbin hasn't come back from the other worlds yet, has he? I need to ask him something first."

Nestor paused, as if weighing his options, then sighed. "I'm afraid Gnasty Gnorc re-captured Delbin while he was in the Beast Makers World," he reported somberly. "When you started freeing the Artisans, his first assumption was that Delbin was behind it."

"Gnasty Gnorc has him?" Spyro exclaimed, another shot of adrenaline forcing him to his feet. "Where is he? I'll torch him!"

"I'm afraid I don't know, Spyro," Nestor apologized. "But trust me, the other elders and I are working to find out. For now, though, your concern should be heading to the Peacekeepers - Marco has his balloon ready at the docks."

Spyro huffed annoyedly - how was he supposed to focus on saving the Peacekeepers when Gnasty had Delbin? - but an adventure to the Peacekeepers was better than no adventure at all. "Alright, alright, I'll head out as soon as I grab some food for Sparx and stretch my wings a little."

"And you promise you'll be careful, right?"

"Yes, sir." _As if they know how to be careful in the Peacekeepers,_ the dragon couldn't help but think with a smirk.

oo00oo00oo

After a short flight in Marco's balloon, Spyro found himself welcomed by the sandy adobe and bubbling tar pits he had become so familiar with in his many escapes in search of adventure - the land of the Peacekeeper dragons.

"Home, sweet home, right, Spyro?" Marco joked as the balloon landed on the Artisan dock, having snuck the purple dragon away more times than he could count.

"Yeah, just about," Spyro laughed, hopping out of the balloon. "Except I'm actually SUPPOSED to be here this time."

"Yeah, Delbin told me all about it. You'll find Gosnold's balloon in the Peacekeeper dock by the tar-ponds - when you're done torching gnorcs here, he'll take you to the Magic Crafters."

Spyro paused for a second - he hadn't even thought about travelling to the other worlds, considering he had never been outside of the Artisans and Peacekeepers. "Yeah, got it, thanks," he answered quickly before running into the entry-corridor.

...Where he found a few gnorcs, dressed for the occasion in soldier uniforms and silly hats, climbing around on and shaking their sticks at a crystallized dragon. "Hey!" The gnorcs looked up with a chorus of grunts and ribbits, then ran screaming when they saw an angry purple dragon charging towards them. Like the gnorcs that infested the Artisans, though, they weren't particularly fast and were horribly underprotected, so they quickly fell to the might of Spyro's horns and flames.

The Artisan turned his attention to the sparkling statue, which shook and cracked and flashed like all of the ones before it, releasing a massive yellow dragon covered in brown spots - Titan, the chief Elder of the Peacekeepers Lands.

"Thanks for the help, Spyro," Titan greeted, stretching his large, violet wings. "Those little creatures Gnasty created are an absolute menace. He's taken almost every last piece of our dragon treasure and turned it against us."

"Don't worry, Titan, you can count on me!" Spyro exclaimed, offering the usual Peacekeepers salute.

Titan returned the gesture - quite an honor when it comes from one of the Peacekeepers Elders. "I know I can, soldier. Welcome back to the battlefield."

oo00oo00oo

Spyro paused to take a deep breath of the hot, windy air of the Dry Canyon - despite being an Artisan dragon by blood, he had always felt more of a kinship with the Peacekeepers. He loved running around Stone Hill, of course, but he never really fit in with the calm, good-hearted innocence of the other Artisans. He was a 'fight first, ask questions never' kind of dragon - exactly the kind of soldier attitude they expected and respected in the Peacekeepers world.

However, the sand-trap of the Dragon Realms wasn't without its challenges, and right now, the purple Artisan was staring at one. He could see one of the dragons trapped at the top of a tall overhang, and now he was racking his brain to find a way up there. There was nothing he could climb on, and nothing nearby he could glide from.

There had to be a secret. And if Spyro learned anything from his years of training in the Canyon, the answer was in the skies. Like Boris always said, Dry Canyon rewards good gliders.

"Spyro, maybe you should wait and find one of the older dragons to give you a hand," Sparx suggested, however sheepishly ('cause if there was one person who hated admitting defeat as much as Spyro, it had to be his dragonfly). "I mean, how are you supposed to get up there?"

"I'm working on it." Still, the answer wasn't quite coming to him. He tried to run through the canyon in his mind, thinking of how to get around this. He was at the main castle, which wasn't high enough. There was the center plateau, but that was walled off on all sides. Then there were all of the little steps and jumps, but none of those would...

...Or would they?

"I've got it!" Spyro exclaimed, rushing off of the castle rooftop and down into the canyon, running to the back steps on the other side. He clamored to the top of the canyon, hopping over to a small tunnel through the center plateau, which brought him back out to the castle side.

"Uh, Spyro?" Sparx buzzed. "This isn't where the dragon's hiding."

"Watch and learn, Sparx," Spyro smirked, taking a running leap and extending his wings as far as they would go, catching as much of the hot, desert air as they could. He pulled a hard left as he glided through the air, hugging the wall as tightly as he could to make sure he could reach his destination.

Right when Sparx thought the wind was going to give out and send Spyro plunging into the tar-pits, the purple dragon fluttered his wings and landed gracefully on the difficult platform. "Told ya I could make it," the Artisan sneered, running up to the trapped dragon.

"How'd you figure THAT one out?" Sparx buzzed in confusion, still trying to figure out how Spyro had spotted that trick from so far away.

"Take a deep breath, step back, run all the possibilities," Spyro recited, smiling at how easily Nestor's words came to mind. _Maybe I'm more Artisan than I thought._

oo00oo00oo

"I must say, Spyro, I'm impressed," Ragnar said as Peacekeeper elder and Artisan dragonlet skated side-by-side through the Ice Caverns, doing one last check of the just-cleared area before Spyro continued on his way. "You know, the other dragons were worried that you wouldn't be ready, but I knew they were wrong. You're a Peacekeeper soldier, through and through - shame you're Artisan blood."

The purple dragon scoffed. "Of course I'm ready...But what am I ready for?"

"You'll realize your destiny when the time is right, soldier."

Spyro pouted. Something wasn't right - ever since he came to the Peacekeepers, all of the full-growns were hinting at something, but they wouldn't say what. In the Peacekeeper fields, Gunnar said that he was "well on your way to accomplishing your destiny"; in the Dry Canyon, Ivor said "ever since you were a wee puff'a smoke, we've known..." (though after growing up with Astor's rambles, Spyro didn't put Ivor's comments past elder senility); now Ragnar was dropping hints in the Caverns. What in the world were they trying to keep from him?

"Is there something I'm not supposed to know or something?" the Artisan asked.

"It's not my place to say, Spyro. Perhaps it would be better for you to ask Delbin when you return to the Artisans." (Someone was out of the loop.) The two dragons ended their skating trip near the golden portal that would take Spyro back to the Peacekeeper Fields. "For now, though, keep your mind on the mission at hand."

"Yes, sir," Spyro answered, however poutfully. (He wasn't happy, but he learned long ago that you never speak out against a Peacekeeper.) Of course, his mission to interrogate Delbin was put on hold thanks to Gnasty Gnorc, but until he resolved that crisis, where was he supposed to go?

Ugh - for once, he was forced to listen to the Dragon Elders. He had to go back to his mission of freeing the dragons.

oo00oo00oo

"Whoo-hoo-hoo! Yee-haw!" Spyro and Sparx found themselves greeted almost immediately by flashes of metal and manic shrieking as soon as they entered the last gnorc-infested area, Trondo's plateau. The dragon duo ducked out of the way, not quite sure what was ambushing them...

...Then saw a pair of gnorcs covered in metal run straight off the edge of the cliffside, into the cloudy abyss below.

"Wow, that was lame," Sparx buzzed.

"I'm starting to get the idea that these gnorcs aren't too bright."

"What was your first clue?"

"True. Come on, let's get going."

After rushing through a maze of the pot-gurus they encountered in Cliff Town and more of those crazy, suicidal, metal death-traps, the young Artisans finally reached the center of the area...and their newest nemesis. He was a towering beast, much bigger than the pot-watchers outside, and much to Spyro's chagrin, covered from head to toe in shiny, uncut metal.

"It never gets easier for us, does it?" Sparx buzzed with a touch of annoyance.

"Aw, come on, buddy," Spyro smirked as he hopped up to meet his newest opponent. "That's half the fun, isn't it?"

The metallic witch-doctor waved around his huge staff (in a way that reminded Spyro of their last major encounter - though he was thanking his ancestors that there weren't any more sheepdogs), making a few 'bring it on' gestures, as if taunting the young dragon. And what kind of Artisan would Spyro be if he didn't give the gnorc exactly what he asked for?

The only question was, how did he go about hurting him?

Well, he didn't have long to think - the old doctor took the first move, rushing towards Spyro and bashing his staff against the ground in hopes of whacking the young dragon. The quick, little Artisan dashed out of the way, and after ending up behind his gruesome opponent, he found the weak spot he had been searching for.

Just like the gnorcs back in Dark Hollow, the doctor wasn't covering his back.

Spyro unleashed a blast of flame, causing the doctor to shriek in pain, his backside smoking as he ran to the next platform, putting himself out during the half-second he bought while the dragon caught up. "Aw, what's the matter, doc?" Spyro taunted. "The Peacekeepers too hot for ya?"

Expecting a repeat performance, Spyro readied himself to start running when the doctor began to charge. Instead, the old shaman took a different approach that Spyro WASN'T expecting - he took his staff and did a grunting wind-up swing, then brought his staff down as hard as he could...just happening to make contact with Spyro's head. Sparx, sharply fading to his electric-blue, dragged the disoriented Spyro out of the way before the doctor could strike twice.

"Nice moves, fastest-dragon-ever," Sparx buzzed sarcastically.

Spyro shook off the dizziness as quick as he could - sometimes, a childhood of bashing steel boxes open with your head came in handy - and hopped back up to the miniature arena. "He's not gonna get me twice," Spyro said determinedly.

The same attack came again - a grand wind-up, followed by a crushing swing. This time, Spyro nimbly barrel-rolled out of the way, and when the doctor attempted another wind-up, the Artisan charged for the opening and let loose another burst of flame. Once again, the old shaman began crying out in pain, rushing ahead to the final platform in the center of the plateau, putting himself out as Spyro caught up.

"Alright, this time, he's mine," Spyro declared, hopping up to meet his opponent yet again. This time, the witch-doctor looked like he meant business. Where Spyro was expecting him to start running or winding up or some sort of move he could dodge, the shaman skipped straight to the punch and swept across the entire mini-plateau with his staff.

Which tripped Spyro up and sent him tumbling off of the arena, right to the edge of the outcropping. Panicked, Sparx flew out and did his best to nudge Spyro back onto the land, preventing what would've been a disasterous fall into the same abyss that swallowed the metal maniacs earlier. The dragon, with the help of his dragonfly, fell back onto his hind legs instead, safe and sound on solid ground.

"Thanks for the save, Sparx," Spyro panted, just the slightest bit shaken from the brush with death.

"Thank me by not doing that again," Sparx tsked. (Really, did other dragonflies have it this hard?)

"Consider it done," Spyro accepted, hopping back up to battle. The witch-doctor, now sporting a cocky smirk, greeted him with an imaginary slash across the throat. (_Wow, just when I thought I had ego problems, _Spyro couldn't help but think.)

The doctor tried his sweep-spin yet again, but this time, Spyro saw it coming and dodged it with a graceful leap into the air. While the doctor had his back turned, the dragon leaped into action and struck the final blow with another blash of flame, this time crumbling the shaman's impenetrable armor and causing the gnorc himself to disintegrate into a pile of five-piece gems.

"See? Told ya we could handle it," Spyro argued arrogantly as he and Sparx gathered up the dragon treasure.

Sparx sighed heavily. "Yeah, sure, if you call near-death at every turn 'handling it'."

oo00oo00oo

"Great work, soldier," Magnus applauded as he escorted Spyro to Gosnold's balloon. "Glad to see our training has gone to good use."

"Just doin' my best, Magnus." If there was anyone in the Dragon Realms that meant as much to Spyro as Delbin did, it was Magnus. Though he may have been one dragon-age younger and about ten dragon-ages less wise, the full-grown tan was just as much father-figure. Magnus took Spyro under his wing the very first time the purple Artisan snuck away to the Peacekeepers in search of adventure, and ever since, he had been Spyro's tutor in the art of all things Peacekeepers are known for - the art of the fight.

"Promise me you'll keep up the good fight in the Magic Crafters - those prissy daydreamers wouldn't know how to keep a gnorc off their wing if their lives depended on it."

Spyro laughed as the two dragons exchanged salutes. "I'll do my best, sir." _Finally, a promise to one of the full-growns that I CAN keep._

"Ago phasmatis draconis, soldier," Magnus said with a nod as Spyro hopped aboard Gosnold's balloon. It was an old saying dating back to the very first Peacekeepers - some say to the beginning of the Dragon Realms themselves, but only the Peacekeepers kept the phrase alive. _'Live the spirit of the dragons'_, a code of honor that the Peacekeepers prided themselves on, and a customary send-off when two soldiers parted ways, particularly when a mentor or guardian sent their trainee or dragonlet into dangerous times.

Spyro smiled, clumsily saluting over the edge of the basket. "Thanks, Magnus."

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><p><em>Sorry again for the delay! Won't happen again, I promise! [totally doesn't have her fingers crossed behind her back] R+R, my lovelies!<em>

_**_§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §_**_


	4. Spellbound

_Hello, fandom! Mayflower here, back and better than ever with an almost-on-time update! Hooray! :D Anyway, I'm back to working on the story now - I'm up to Chapter 16 right now and hope to be past Chapter 20 before I head back to school in a few weeks to make sure I can keep updating. So, y'know, pretend there's sincerity in my promising updates. :D_

_No mentions of mistakes in the last chapter, so I think I'm getting better at catching those. (Poor pacing? What poor pacing? [shifty eyes]) I DID, however, get a lot of mentions as to how awesome the suicidal death-traps from the last chapter are, so I'm awarding them the "Most Popular Gnorc" award. :D [adds fake applause and cheap trophy] And, along those lines, thanks to all of the reviewers for all of your reviews!_

_But enough silliness - ON WITH THE SHOW!_

**LAWYERBOT SAYS: WHOO-HOO-HOO! [plummets off cliff]**_  
><em>Spyro the Dragon, both the game and the character (c) Insomniac. ...And what's their face, I guess._  
><em>

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 4 - SPELLBOUND<strong>

"Marco's told me plenty of stories about you, Spyro - you ever been to the Magic Crafters world?"

"Nope."

"Oh, you're in for a treat - the Magic Crafters are INCREDIBLE, much better than that hot, dusty Peacekeepers World."

Spyro had only heard stories about the Magic Crafters...though granted, from two COMPLETELY different sources. The Artisans said that the Crafters were a playful bunch, who studied extremely hard to master their crafts and bring the beauty of dragon magic to the world. The Peacekeepers said that the Crafters were weaklings, too busy wasting life with their noses in the books, and that their lofty world of clouds and magic was no place to raise a strong, fit dragon.

So needless to say, the purple Artisan didn't have the slightest clue what to expect. But there was only one way to find out.

oo00oo00oo

"Nyeh-nyeh-ne-nyeh-nyeh! Heehehehee!"

"Augh, another one?" Spyro groaned as he heard the tell-tale snicker of the egg-thieves. He had already rescued six eggs so far - how many of them got stolen? Well, this wasn't the time to fuss with numbers, obviously - the purple Artisan simply dug in his claws and gave chase to the speedy trickster, rushing through the marble pathways and corridors, and when he finally re-seized the missing dragon egg...

"Yep, this is DEFINITELY not anything like the Peacekeepers."

"Man, you could say that again."

The dragon duo were completely speechless as they stepped out of the marble palace and got their first glimpse of the world of the Magic Crafters. There was a certain lushness that echoed the Artisan Lands, but where the Artisans had a quiet, earthy sense of...well, being on the ground, the Magic Crafters seemed to be completely supported by the sky, as the entire homeworld seemed to be wrapped in a blanket of cloud cover and snow-topped mountains. Bright, sparkling water ("Great, just what I needed," Spyro groaned) ran rampant, with ponds and waterfalls around every corner, and graceful hills and valleys added a sense of flow to the topography. Magic seemed to pour out of everywhere you looked - like the world really needed to EARN its name.

"Well, this adventure's going to be...interesting," Spyro said, unable to find any other words to describe the new and magical place.

"I don't know if 'interesting' is the word I'd go with," Sparx buzzed uncertainly as the duo rushed off into this brand-new realm of exploration.

"Oh, quit being such a downer, Sparx," Spyro laughed. "Come on, it's an adventure! Let's just-OOF!"

The Artisan dragon was interrupted as he found himself smacking face-first into a wall of...ground? "Okay, where did the wall come from?"

Sparx nudged Spyro's attention upwards. A wizard in green stood atop the massive wall, waving a staff, almost like he was taunting the foolish young dragon who had just stumbled into his...trap?

"Aw, come on, really?" Spyro tsked. The wizard answered with an echo-y _yeow!_ "Alright, whatever, ya little magic freak, have it your way."

As Spyro turned to go the other way, though, he heard the quiet rustling of the...ground. "Hmm?" Indeed, upon turning around, the wizard had returned to ground-level, as if his magical wall of physics-altering magic was never there. "...Alright, maybe I was imagining things." Shrugging it off to a trick of the light, Spyro charged forward yet again.

The Artisan dragon was interrupted as he found himself smacking face-first into a wall of...ground? "Oh, come on!" He began to storm away from the battle frustrated, then realized something as he looked at the path he was on.

He could always go around.

oo00oo00oo

"Okay, what the heck is this thing?"

Spyro and Sparx found themselves looking up at quite the conundrum - the High Caves were INFESTED with bugs. And not just normal bugs, mind you, but GIANT bugs. With pincers bigger than Spyro's whole body. That were completely made of metal. What happened to the Magic Crafters worlds being peaceful and magical?

"I don't know, but I'm thinking we shouldn't go that way," Sparx suggested, dragging Spyro back towards the entrance of the caves.

As much as the purple Artisan hated admitting defeat (or admitting Sparx was right), he sighed - the giant beetle would just have to wait until they found a way through its defenses. "Alright, we'll try to find a way around, but I'm taking this bug down."

So they successfully found their way around - the dragon duo found another path through the mountains, flaming up Ice Wizards, mini-shamans (which made the most hilarious sound ever when rammed with a pair of dragon horns, at least in Sparx's opinion), and trick wizards ("Seriously, enough with the moving platforms already!") left and right as they carved their way through the village.

After releasing one of the Magic Crafter full-growns, though, they came across yet another odd quirk that they hadn't seen back home.

"So run this super-charge thing by me again?" Spyro asked.

"The arrows are magically-enchanted to activate when a dragon runs across them - particularly the dragonlets," explained Ajax, a light-green full-grown who had been trapped right next to the flashing ramp. "Rush down this hill, and your charging will be faster than ever."

"So this means I can charge down anything?" Spyro smirked.

"I haven't seen much that can stand up to a supercharge," Ajax answered as he flew off, leaving the young Artisan to his own devices. (Spyro had to admit, it was nice being in a world where his mischevious reputation didn't precede him - it was like the Magic Crafters either had total confidence in him or really could have cared less if he lived or died. Luckily, though, he was leaning towards the former.)

"Then let's put this bad-boy to the test," Spyro said, scratching his paws against the dirt to prepare them for the biggest charge of his life.

"Why do I get the terrible feeling this isn't going to end well?" Sparx groaned, readying himself to have to chase and keep up with his rambuctious dragon.

Once again ignoring the voice of reason, Spyro took off running towards the ramp of arrows, taking a hard left before the jump-zone and driving into the caves where the metal beetles were lurking. The rush of the supercharge was intense - Spyro could practically feel fire coming off of his paws as he thundered through the caves. He thought he was fast before, but during the supercharge, the world was whizzing by him with incredible speed. He bashed head-first into one of the crawling catastrophes, and BOOM!, the metal creature exploded on contact.

"Wow, that was intense!" Spyro laughed as he skidded to a stop, taking a moment to catch his breath.

"I wonder why we don't have those in the Artisans?" Sparx pondered.

"I don't know, but man, do I wish we did!"

"...Uh, Spyro?"

"Aw, did you see it, Sparx? That was amazing!"

"Spyro, behind you."

"Man, that bug didn't stand a CHANCE!"

"Really, Spyro, turn around."

"Man, if I can get my hands on one of those at Gnorc Gnexus, Gnasty doesn't stand a chance!"

"SPYRO, LOOK BEHIND YOU!"

The Artisan finally turned, finding another of the dragon-sized beetles charging towards them. Spyro just barely tumbled out of the way, then ran as fast as his uncharged legs would carry him towards the exit. Back to the super-charge!

oo00oo00oo

As fun as it was to thunder through the High Caves and Wizard Peak on the ramps upon ramps of supercharges, the dragon duo DID still have a job to do - rescue the Magic Crafter dragons, reclaim the stolen Dragon Treasure, and as became painfully obvious in this world, rescue the stolen dragon eggs. It seemed like every time they turned a corner, that grating "nyeh-nyeh-ne-nyeh-nyeh!" was waiting for them, and there was another thief in blue waiting to be chased down.

"If you don't mind my asking, Spyro, how many of the dragon eggs have you recovered so far?" a golden elder named Lucas asked, having just watched Spyro take out yet another of the tricky speedsters.

"Way too many," Spyro groaned. "I think that was my sixth one in the Magic Crafters."

"Did you find others in the Peacekeepers and the Artisans?"

"Yeah, that's probably another six right there."

"Well, Spyro, only twelve dragon eggs were reported missing, so if your numbers are right, it sounds like you've found them all - thank you."

"Augh, finally!" Spyro exclaimed with a sigh of relief. "No more chasing down those stupid thieves."

"We're lucky to have a dragon with your talent for speed to help us with the thief problem," Lucas nodded. "Delbin's put you through your paces in the speedway, hasn't he?"

"Speedway?" Spyro was confused - he had gotten his speed training by chasing after sheep and the baby dragonlets. Delbin had never mentioned a speedway.

"You've never been?" Lucas looked thoroughly surprised. "Oh, I'm sure you'd do fabulous! It's just through that portal in Waterfall Pond - you know, the one you open up by using the stone jumping pads?"

"There's a portal in Waterfall Pond?"

Lucas tsked with a bit of a low chuckle. "My, Delbin hasn't told you much at all, has he?" Spyro frowned - it was definitely looking that way at this point. "Well, go check it out when you return to the Artisans - I know I should be partial to our speedway, but I've always had a soft spot for Sunny Flight. You'll enjoy it, I can just tell - you were born to race the speedways."

"Yeah, I'll check it out, thanks," Spyro answered hesitantly as Lucas took off into the skies.

"Oh, come on, Spyro, I know what that look means," Sparx buzzed, sitting on Spyro's nose (the way he usually did when he had to get into his dragon-brother's face). "Look, you can't get all sour-faced about all of this - so Delbin has some stuff to tell you, you know he has a good reason for it. Don't get all mad thinking that he's keeping secrets from you on purpose."

"Yeah, I know, I know," Spyro defended, blowing a puff of hot air to knock Sparx back into the air. He didn't know if his dragonfly was necessarily RIGHT, but he did have a point - whether he had the right to be mad at Delbin or not, this wasn't the time for it. With his guardian still trapped only-the-ancestors-know-where, he wasn't going to get his answers until he finished saving the Dragon Realms and torching Gnasty Gnorc to pieces. "Forget it, let's get going."

So they did - right back to the Magic Crafter's homeworld, right into Tuco's balloon, right onto the home of the Beast Makers.

* * *

><p><em>Apologies this chapter came out so short - as much as I love the Magic Crafters, it didn't have much to play with in terms of things that would make good story. The enemies are repetitive, the dragons don't say much, Blowhard was a pushover, and a lot of Crafter tricks show up again, not only in the Dream Weavers, but also in the fairy levels of Year of the Dragon. I tried to pad it out, especially since the last chapter was a bit weighty and rushed, especially by comparison, but this is all I got. Next one'll be back up to normal speed - enjoy the short chapters while they last. XD<em>

**_§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §_**


	5. The Swamps of Home

_Uh...hiya, dragonlets! Mayflower here. :D Alright, look, be as mad and impatient as you want; I DO have a good reason for the prolonged absence. But it's been a long year since I've been around, so you guys are probably more eager for the story, right? :D I'll leave an author's note at the bottom of the page for anyone who's curious about what happened, but otherwise, let's get on with the reopening of childhood wounds! ...I mean the show!_**  
><strong>

**You found a disclaimer!  
><strong>Spyro the Dragon, both the game and all related characters (c) Insomniac. They own the Spyro that's in this chapter, so nyeh.**  
><strong>

**WARNING: **This chapter contains game-spoilers! If you still haven't 100%-ed _Spyro the Dragon_, read on with caution!

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 5: The Swamps of Home<strong>

Just like with the past three worlds, each of the Dragon Worlds seemed to have their own opinions of what the home of the Beast Makers was really like. The Artisans always considered them honest-working dragons; strong of body and heart, though not the strongest of mind. To the Peacekeepers, they were the only other dragon race worth respecting, with tough skin and warrior spirits. Ask a Magic Crafter, and you'll get a cringe in return - the Magic Crafters were DISGUSTED by the thought of the Beast Maker's world, calling them filthy and uncivilized beasts like the creatures they were charged with raising.

Spyro was beginning to realize that no one Dragon Realm had the story straight, but as Tuco dropped him off at the edge of a green, bubbling swamp, his initial response was to side with the Magic Crafters. The world of the Beast Makers was dark and wet ("Great, MORE water..."), with the growls and squawks of the local fauna providing the background noise.

"Come on, Sparx, let's go - the sooner we get out of here, the sooner we head to a Dragon Realm that has dry land for once."

oo00oo00oo

_Zap. Zap. Zap._

Spyro sat with tense legs at the edge of the steel flooring, watching it flicker between a dull gray and an electrified blue. The gnorc at the center of the panel gave him a taunting laugh every once in a while, right before shoving his taser into the ground and lighting up the floor. Electricity, Claude called it. "And it REALLY stings," he warned.

That couldn't have been truer - Spyro was STILL feeling that tingle under his scales from his run-in with those taser sticks earlier. This electricity was everywhere in Terrace Village; the gnorcs used it to power machines, attack the dragons, fry chickens, and now, make the floor untouchable.

And so, the dragonlet watched. There was a pattern to this pulsing madness, he just had to learn it and strike fast.

Finally, the gnorc seemed to let down his guard. As soon as the electric color faded from the panels, Spyro rushed forward, horns lowered in preparation for a full attack.

Before the Artisan got even close, the gnorc saw him coming, and quickly lowered his electricity-stick to the floor, lighting it up and sending all of that voltage straight through the young dragonlet's legs. Spyro froze as the electricity seized his muscles, sending a wave of heat and pain rippling under his scales. His brain was screaming at his legs to jump and get away from the surging metal, but his legs refused to comply.

The gnorc gave a loud cackle as it pulled the rod away from the panel, already beginning to charge it for a second assault. Spyro, although dizzy and unable to move, saw his chance and scrambled to take it. He took in as much breath as he could, then unleashed a fury of flame onto the troublesome gnorc.

The gnorc _poof_ed into a sparkling green gem, but he left one other trinket behind: the fully-charged taser-stick.

Spyro had only a second to react and dive for the safe, swampy ground on the other side of the panel. Which was one second less than what he needed to make it safely. His tail and hind-legs struck the panel as it lit up with electricity again, and the Artisan gave a sharp yell as the surge of pain shot through his spine once more.

Once the electricity faded, Spyro was dropped and left to tumble weakly to the side. He struggled to catch his breath as his wings spastically fluttered behind him, every scale on his body shaking from the jolt.

Sparx tried to nudge Spyro to his feet. Obviously, with so many of those cyber-gnorcs around, laying out in plain sight wasn't the brightest idea. "Come on, Spyro, let's just hurry up, find the dragons, and get out of here!"

Spyro's response was jittery, almost incomprehensible (even to the buzzy dragonfly), but after a few dizzied stumbles, he got to his feet. His paws were shaky and tender, and his vision was spotted with flashes, but he managed to pull it together.

_Man, Claude wasn't kidding. Oof. Sparx is right, though. We'd better just keep moving. I think I'll be alright, just so long as there aren't any more-_

Spyro froze as he and Sparx reached the top of the terraces, finding a long line of electric panels across the rooftops.

_Zap. Zap. Zap._

oo00oo00oo

"Be on the look-out fer attack frogs, Spahro! Cold-blooded killers, they are! Don' let 'em get ahead a' ya, Spahro! Aw, and dis used'ta be such a nice swamp!"

At the time, Spyro hadn't the slightest idea what Rosco was talking about. First of all, frogs? Dangerous? Really? Second, he was Spyro, savior of the Dragon Realms. Did he REALLY think after all of these gnorcs (and that electricity from Terrace Village, which STILL had his scales tingly and charred) that FROGS would bring him down?

Granted, Misty Bog wasn't a particularly NICE place. The TREES got up and attacked him when he landed. What kind of swamp has evil attack trees? Maybe Rosco's threats of evil attack frogs weren't so far off.

And Spyro finally found the perfect way to put it to the test. After hopping tree-trunks through the miles and miles of swamp-water, the young heroes stumbled across a hollow tree stump, one that held a dragon crystal on the other side.

The only things standing between them and the dragon were six blue frogs and three metal-wearing gnorcs.

"Now Spyro, don't do anything stupid," Sparx warned. "Let's just sit back, look at our options, and then-"

"Three, two, one, go!" As usual, Spyro threw caution and common sense to the wind, rushing straight into the room and bashing the left-hand wall of frogs. Really, they were FROGS. How hard could it be?

_THUNK. _The answer to that question appeared when Spyro was stopped cold by the wet, sticky splat of a frog's tongue on his face. "Oh, gross!" the Artisan flailed, trying to escape the tongue-grab. His awkward stumble shoved him back into a gnorc, who was quick to stab his blade into Spyro's hide. The dragonlet yelped, instinctively spraying fire at everything in range. It took care of the frogs, but the gnorc giving him a hard time was cloaked in metal.

Spyro kicked the gnorc, giving him enough space to turn around and charge him, but this charge led him straight into two more frogs. And their tongues. Ew.

The attack frogs joined together, each grabbing one of Spyro's horns and flipping him, forcing the dragonlet into the wooden ground. Spyro could barely hold it together to barrel-roll aside and flame them both before they struck again.

With a pant, Spyro wiped the frog-goo from his face before shaking it from his hide. On second thought, those frogs were tougher than they looked.

"Do you see why it's a bad idea to charge into things like that?"

"Weren't you the one saying my hard-headedness works best on gnorcs wearing armor?" The faint dragonfly sat on Spyro's head with a pout, too tired to come up with a response.

With a tired groan himself, Spyro pushed himself up the stairs to where the dragon crystal was waiting. It contained one of the Beast Maker's elders, Damon.

"Oh, Spyro, it's soo good to see you!" Damon stretched. "Goodness me, it feels like I've been trapped in that crystal since I was YOUR age! Haha!" Stroking one of his frills, Damon's eyes wandered off into space. "Oh, those were certainly the days...I can still remember when-"

"Hey, Elder Damon, I'd LOVE to hear your story, but, uh, y'know, gnorcs to torch and all that!" Spyro interuptted, hopping up the stairs further to exit the tree-cave. "Sorry, gotta go!"

Ugh. The only thing worse than evil attack frogs? Rambling elders.

oo00oo00oo

For an amazing tour of the tree-tops, you can't just stop at one super-charge.

Lyle's words could not stand truer. Spyro and Sparx whiled away hours on the charge ramps of the Tree Tops, rushing from hut to hut and platform to platform, fighting off fearsome monkeys and reclaiming the dragon treasure from pesky egg thieves.

No matter how many circles he ran on the super-charge speedway, though, one secret eluded him. It was a tiny island, far off on the horizon. He had watched as one of the thieves rushed over there, and could hear its taunting "Nyeh-nyeh-ne-nyeh-nyeh! Heehehehee!" from behind the houses. There was also a dragon crystal glimmering in the distance, sitting tall amongst piles of dragon treasure.

There was one question. How do you get over there?

The Tree Tops were far from dragonlet-friendly, and all of the full-growns and elders were back in the homeworld and Terrace Village, beginning to tear up the junkyards Gnasty's gnorcs had built and electrified. (Spyro was reminded of that feeling he had in the Magic Crafters. But where he believed they had the utmost confidence in him, he couldn't help but think that the Beast Makers just didn't care as much.)

So there sat Spyro, who was a half-decent glider at best, stuck on the edge of a tree-top platform, calculating trajectories and all sorts of Artisan things he was never very good at, trying to figure out how to use the supercharge behind him to reach the faraway island.

"I don't get it!" Spyro swiped at the ground in frustration. He had covered the Tree Tops thirty times over, but there was nothing that would get him high enough and close enough to get the glide-distance he needed. "There's GOT to be some way over there, right?"

Could it really be that Spyro had finally come across the one obstacle he could not conquer?

"Hey, Spyro?"

He had gone so far, already rescued three of the five Dragon Realms. Fifty-six dragons saved, twelve eggs rescued, hundreds of gnorcs slain, thousands of gems found...and this was to be his end?

"Earth to Spyro..."

The thought of going back to the Beast Maker's homeworld and asking for help was embarrassing - disgusting, even. Peacekeepers didn't ask for help. They soldiered on like dragon warriors, finding ways around everything. (Granted, Spyro was Artisan by blood, but the message still mattered.)

"Spyro? Hell~o, Spyro!"

And beaten by what? This? FLIGHT? He was a dragon - he had WINGS. And yet, the art of flight continued to elude him for all of these years. Why was it so difficult? He could glide. In fact, he loved to glide. Soaring through the skies, nothing but the wind beneath your wings to stop you...what kind of feeling could top that? There was just one disadvantage - the fact he needed height. It was GLIDING, not flying. 'Spyro, you're just a dragonlet! Your wings aren't big and strong enough to support your weight!' So what? This dragon's going to be stuck there until he got bigger?

"HEY, FLAME-FOR-BRAINS!"

Spyro jumped, breaking out of his dramatic monologue when a pair of beady eyes and fluttering gold wings dropped into his line of sight. "Geez, Sparx, way to scare a guy! What do you want?"

Sparx sighed, dragging Spyro over to the edge of the island by his horns. "Look down."

So Spyro did. There was a secret ramp hidden off the side, one that wrapped around and shot upwards right above the super-charge.

And as Spyro was quick to notice, it was pointed right at the island. "Sparx, you're a genius!"

"Well, I don't know where you're going to get the supercharge for this," Sparx pointed out, looking back up at the trees. "I mean, it'll be a nice launch, but there's no way you can-"

"Watch me!"

Spyro took off down the island's supercharge, building up enough speed to get a rushing leap off of the ramp. Before he crashed into the next tree-landing, though, he flapped his wings as hard as he could, continuing to pump his legs and force the momentum of the supercharge to keep on. He veered right as hard as he could, and although the re-entry was clumsy, Spyro managed to dig his claws into the second ramp and spin around, launching off flawlessly.

The dragonlet rushed onto the secret island, smashing into the dragon crystal before hunting down that yellow-robed thief, horning him down and taking back the twenty-five-gem piece he was protecting.

The island's keeper, a red full-grown named Jed, gave a hearty laugh when he broke free of his prison and caught up with the young Artisan. "That was quite a ride, Spyro! Your gliding's quite remarkable for someone your size!"

Spyro tried to bite back a smile. Maybe he was getting better at this gliding thing.

"Yeah, but you still could've found an easier place to get stuck!"

oo00oo00oo

"Sparoh, I can' thank you 'nough fer freein' up the dragons 'n helpin' us retake ah swamp," Chief Elder Bruno thanked yet again as he saw Spyro off to Cray at his balloon. "Thanks ta you, we tearin' up all that 'lectrificed junk Gnasty dropped in heah 'n makin' it growin' ground again." He gave a lamenting sigh as Spyro hopped into the basket. "You'll gotta come back 'round later, once this whole Gnasty bidness is done 'n over wit'. The swamp's a might beautiful place normal, I promise."

Spyro looked around to the layers of swamp mud and filth that surrounded the balloon dock. "...Yeah, I'm sure it is."

"Good job so far, Spyro," nodded Cyprin, one of the full-growns Spyro had rescued from Terrace Village (which STILL sent a shiver up his spine when he thought about it). "Keep up the good work. I know it's hard, but look forward to the day when you'll be able to tell all of the dragonlets about the amazing adventures you had!"

"Yeah, don't worry, I will!" Spyro said with the most genuine-looking smile he could muster, nodding for Cray to take off as soon as possible.

In reality, the Artisan only had one thought about the future (minus the obvious dream of torching Gnasty Gnorc): _All I want to do is get out of this swamp!_

* * *

><p><em>For anyone who doesn't care to hear my story, thanks so much for reading! I'll see you guys next time! :)<br>_

_Now, for anyone who DOES care: As mentioned in the author's notes of Chapter Four, I was well into the story this time last year. Not only did I finish Chapter 20, which was the initial goal, but I finished novelizing ALL of Ripto's Rage and completed the introduction to Year of the Dragon. About ten chapters ahead of where I thought I was going to be, and I could NOT be more excited to post it up for you all.  
><em>

_Then disaster struck. I was planning on uploading the document to FFN the night I returned from Christmas break. THAT MORNING, my laptop suffered a massive meltdown, deleting its boot manager and essentially blowing up the hard-drive from the inside out. I lost EVERYTHING. Fanfictions, school work, all of the non-fanon projects I've poured the last few years into; EVERYTHING. Sadly, this included the original draft of Legacy, all thirty-odd chapters of it.  
><em>

_As you can imagine, it's difficult to want to REWRITE the one project that took up most of your summer and your entire winter break. I couldn't even LOOK at this story, it made me so sick. But May came around, bringing a huge update for another game I write for (which I'm sure my Isaac readers have noticed ;) ), and the fanfiction bug bit again. So I finally decided to pick Legacy back up, but with my new mantra of "don't post stories you haven't finished" in play. If you look at the rest of my stories, you'll see that's a weak spot of mine.  
><em>

_ANYWAY. So this isn't the initial draft of Legacy. It's a bit sad that you guys will never see the original version, which I thought was a lot funnier and had more jokes. All in all, though, I really do think this version's better-written. It'll especially show once we hit Ripto in Chapter 9. :) So if you guys notice a major shift in the writing from this point forward, there's your explanation. I can't fix it, I just have to hope you all enjoy it regardless.  
><em>

_You guys have NO idea how sorry I am, but these are forces out of my control. And don't worry, I bought an external the week after; I've learned my lesson about obsessively backing things up! If you guys can forgive me, I promise regular updates as best as I can from this point out! :) Thanks for bearing with me, guys, and, uh...well, enjoy the rest of the show!  
><em>

_**_§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §_**_


	6. Wonderland

_Happy Saturday, dragonlets! Ready to continue our adventure through the world of dragons? So am I! So let's get on with the show! :D_

**You found a disclaimer!  
><strong>Spyro the Dragon, both the game and all related characters (c) Insomniac. They own the Spyro that's in this story, so nyeh.**  
><strong>Any Spyro character not rightfully owned by Insomniac doesn't belong to me; in this instance, the right goes to Eurocom.

**WARNING: **This chapter contains creative liberties. Read at your own risk.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 6: Wonderland<strong>

All of the worlds seem to have their own opinions of the other parts of the Dragon Realms. Each dragon clan has its own notions of the others, some positive, some negative. As Spyro was beginning to learn through his journey, nobody was perfectly right. Everyone had pieces that were right and pieces that were wrong, like nobody had the full story until you put them all together.

Then there were the Dream Weavers.

Every single world was in rare unison when it came to their assumptions of the Dream Weavers dragons. They were CRAZY. Talk of a city in the clouds, run entirely by rainbows and fairy magic, where jesters run wild and mushrooms come to life, where dreams become nightmares and nightmares become reality.

Spyro was skeptical. Until he hopped off of Cray's balloon and landed in front of a pair of towering fairy-gnorcs, which waved their arms and went "booga-booga-booga!" at him until they were shrunk by a laser that fell from the sky.

"Sparx?"

"Yeah?"

"Is it just me, or do the Artisans seem a lot nicer all of a sudden?"

oo00oo00oo

Chief Elder Lateef only had passing advice: expect the unexpected and be prepared for what is not there.

As Spyro was quick to discover, the Dream Weavers world was one giant riddle. Things were not challenges, things that could be dealt with by hitting them. (He understood why the Peacekeepers in particular seemed so sour on the Dream Weavers and thanked the ancestors for his Artisan patience in the face of puzzles.) Instead, everything had a trick - some clever device that was so obviously in front of your face, you had no choice but to overlook it.

So Spyro's gears had to turn hard when he stared down the conundrum of the Dark Passage.

The very first cavern was blocked off by a dog. A small puppy, no bigger than Spyro, with big yellow eyes that seemed to beg for your friendship. Spyro moved into this cavern too quickly, not expecting trouble.

_Who-whoo! _Three steps in, and he was confronted with a giant demon, one that made sure to dig all three rows of its teeth into Spyro's tail. With a pained yelp, the Artisan made a hasty retreat back to the light at the start of the tunnel. As Spyro and his electric-blue companion ran to restrategize, they turned and saw the dog in its place once again.

"You definitely saw the demon-dog, right?"

"Yep, definitely saw it."

"So where did it go?"

_Who-whoo! _It was the same excited yip Spyro heard around every corner of the Dream Weavers world - almost as annoying as the egg thieves, but not quite. With a rustle of bells, Spyro found the culprit: it was a small jester, complete with neon clothes and a bright red hat, running around with a small lantern in its hand.

These "fools" were the great mystery of the Dream Weavers world. Nobody knew what they were or where they came from, only that they had incredible powers. And absolutely no way of using them.

Mazi had warned that although they were invincible, that didn't mean you shouldn't attack them. Kasiya mentioned that even though the enemies of Dark Passage could be frightening, he'd be wise to keep an eye on the fools.

Spyro gave a snort. Why couldn't he just run in and FLAME the fool?

...

Wait. Duh.

Trying to give the dog as much room as he could, Spyro snuck into the cavern and approached the fool. The jester saw Spyro coming, and with a panicked _who-whoo!, _put out his light. When darkness filled the cave, the dog gave a twitch, then exploded into the bright-red demon that had caught Spyro off-guard.

"Talk about a trick of the light," Spyro joked, giving the fool a quick torch. The fool gave a yelp, then...transformed into a giant lantern?

Regardless of the weird fool-physics, the lights returned, and the demon turned back into a harmless puppy before it could reach Spyro, making it an easy victim to Spyro's horns.

Maybe he was over-thinking the Dream Weavers. They weren't so difficult. When in doubt, hit things until the answer comes up. It was the Peacekeeper way of doing things, and it would continue to serve him here.

...At least, that's what Spyro thought until the lantern collapsed, turning back into a prancing fool with another "_who-whoo!_" That's when the darkness returned and he found himself face-to-face with a giant, firebreathing metal turtle.

oo00oo00oo

"Alright, really, who came up with this?"

Spyro found himself in an awkward game of keep-away. There was a whirlwind leading to trapped dragons, magic gnorcs, and loads of dragon treasure just steps away. The thing holding him back? A ten-foot-tall suit of metal armor that had been brought to life by said wizard-gnorcs.

The two combatants stayed level. Whenever Spyro moved, the suit of armor followed. The dragon was too small to knock it down with his horns, and the metal was just as flame-proof as everything else metallic in the Dragon Realms. There was no way around it, and no way through it.

"EEEEK! SOMEONE HELP!"

So, when in doubt, go do something else heroic instead.

Hearing the call of distress, Spyro rushed back into the castle, ducking through the wooden doors until he found one of Gnasty's minions, waving a grenade in the face of a trapped fairy, as if taunting her capture.

Like most of the low-level gnorcs, he didn't stand a chance against Spyro's horns.

"Hey, miss, are you alright?"

The fairy, who had a head of long red hair and a tight purple dress, gave a sultry giggle as she lowered down to Spyro's level. "Oh, I'm just fine now. Thanks so much for your help. Spyro, right?"

"Yeah, that's-" _CLANG! _Fairy, dragon, and dragonfly alike all cringed when the quivers of those suits of armors echoed from outside.

"Oh, no, are those wizards causing trouble again?" she tsked.

"Yeah, those suits of armor are EVERYWHERE," Spyro groaned.

The fairy vixen pulled Spyro in close. "Oh, I'm sure a big, tough dragon like you could handle a few hunks of scrap metal, right?"

"Well...uh..."

The fairy gave Spyro a gentle kiss on the head. "You can do it, Spyro. Do it for me?"

Spyro's face felt hot as his scales blushed to an uncomfortable shade of red. "Uh...Uhm, y-yeah! Yeah, consider it done!"

"Spyro, what are you doing?!" Sparx buzzed, rushing after his dragon as he went to confront the magical knight. "You can't do anything about those things!"

Spyro slid in front of the beast, which was still intent on keeping Spyro back at any costs. The newly-motivated Artisan leaned back, taking in as much breath as his lungs would allow, then unleashed a storm of white-hot flame onto the armor, which crumpled under its incredible heat.

The dragon looked back at his dragonfly with a cocky sneer. "You were sayin'?"

Sparx gave a frustrated buzz as Spyro ran ahead to storm the castle. "I was saying that this world doesn't make any sense!"

But this was one of the few things that DID make sense. All dragons know that there's magic in a fairy's kiss.

oo00oo00oo

Aim high in life, but watch out for flying boxes.

Spyro had swallowed his pride and asked Revilo for advice on conquering the super-gnorc Gnasty put in charge of causing chaos in...well, the world of chaos. And what did he get? "Aim high in life, but watch out for flying boxes."

So Spyro shoved the cryptic advice from his mind and rushed into the lava-filled arena. It was an intense battlefield, the air hot and smokey from the bubbling lava, with the rocky platforms shaking and crumbling, ready to drop and collapse at any moment.

And in the center of the plateau sat Gnasty's final line of defense, the monster in charge of destroying the Dream Weavers' world.

"I'm fighting a Jack-in-the-Box? Seriously?" Spyro did a double-take, making sure his eyes weren't mistaken. No, the foe was, indeed, a large mask on a spring, wearing a silly hat that was covered in jester bells.

It took him so long to process that the so-called Jacques had plenty of time to pull out a gift-wrapped box and wail it straight at Spyro's head, striking the Artisan between the horns. Watch out for flying boxes. NOW it made sense.

"Alright, so that's the game we're going to play, is it?" Spyro snorted, digging in his claws and chasing after the bouncing mask. "Alright, game on!"

Jacques continued his playful bounce up the mountain, pausing occasionally to turn around and chuck presents at Spyro, who could dodge much more effectively now that he knew they were coming. He never allowed the dragon to get close enough to attack, even turning the floating chunks of rock into a continued pathway when he ran out of mountain plateau.

The chase continued, up higher and higher, the rocks becoming smaller and smaller, the danger increasing more and more...

_Ha-ha! POOF! _When Spyro finally caught up, he barely had time to unleash his flame before Jacques self-imploded into a pile of twenty-five-gem pieces.

The hot-headed Artisan could only stare at the pile of precious treasure. All of the hype that the Dream Weavers were chaotic and dangerous, all of the concern that facing off against Jacques would be his most difficult battle yet...

"Sparx?"

"Yeah, Spyro?"

"We are NEVER coming back to the Dream Weavers after this."

"Agreed."

oo00oo00oo

Lateef and Zikomo saw Spyro off to Amos' balloon. "The time is upon you, young Artisan," Lateef warned. "You'll be on your way to the Dragon Junk Yards after this. With all of the chaos happening in the other worlds, his defenses should be low. That being said, he'll still be expecting you. Be careful."

"I think if anybody could stop Gnasty Gnorc, it's you!" Zikomo added. "Good luck, young dragon."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Spyro laughed, crouching his legs to hop into the balloon. As kooky as this world was, it was nice to hear that the Dream Weaver dragons were on his side.

Before he could make the jump, though, a timid voice broke out from behind the elder dragons. "U-Uhm...Mister Spyro?"

The purple hero turned to look. A small pink dragonlet had come forward, the first he had seen since Gnasty's attack back in the Artisans. (The Artisan dragonlets were hiding with Astor in the Elder Caves. Assumedly, the rest of the dragon lands were doing the same.) She was a few years below him, as all of the dragonlets were; a pastel shade of pink with purple frill and big blue eyes, and a golden necklace with a red heart charm around her neck.

Nervously, she handed Spyro a rough bouquet of brightly-colored flowers that continually changed their petals - like most things in the Dream Weavers world, they didn't seem satisfied being one type of flower for longer than thirty seconds. "U-Uhm...M-My name's Ember, 'n...I-I jus' wanted ta say thank you fer savin' the Dream Weavers world, Mister Spyro."

Spyro fought the urge to roll his eyes. Dealing with the dragonlets was never a skill of his, but the quicker he could play nice with this girl, the sooner he could leave and head for Gnorc Gnexus. "Uh...no problem, Ember. It's just what heroes do."

"Uhm..." A sharp red blush overtook her light-pink cheeks. "D-Do you think you could come back ta visit sometime? After yer done savin' the Dragon Realms? So we can play?"

"Sure...I'll definitely see what I can do." (Spyro had never told a bigger lie in his life. He had no intention of coming back to the Dream Weavers world, not after the chaos it had just put him through.)

Still, it made the girl happy enough to run off with a squeal, not even noticing that Spyro didn't take her flowers. The purple Artisan sighed, hopping into the basket.

"Aw, look, you got a girlfriend!" Amos giggled.

"Oh, shut up and pilot the balloon!" Spyro snapped. He was always touchy about people trying to hook him up. REAL dragon warriors didn't fall in love. Blegh.

Besides, he had bigger things to worry about than dealing with dragonlet girls.

He was finally on his way to the Dragon Junk Yards.

* * *

><p><em>Yeah, I'm making Ember be a little more important than a throwaway joke in Hero's Tail. Sue me; my story, my canon. Anyway, I hope you guys really enjoyed this chapter; I ADORE the Dream Weavers world, so I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. :) Anyway, see you guys next time when Spyro finally goes to conquer the infamous Gnorc Gnexus! <em>

__**_§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §_**__


	7. Gnorc Gnexus

_Hello, my little dragonlets! :) Mayflower here! Ready to close out Spyro 1 with a bang? I sure am! So let's get this show on the road!_

**You found a disclaimer!**  
>Spyro the Dragon, both the game and all related characters (c) Insomniac. They own the Spyro that's in this story, so nyeh.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 7: Gnorc Gnexus<strong>

Finally, the time had arrived. Spyro could barely contain his adrenaline as Amos touched down in the Dragon Junk Yards. It was a tiny island, surrounded by metallic dragon heads, each blocking off portals. Gnasty Gnorc was hiding in one of these, Spyro just needed to figure out which one and crash his victory party.

Before he could go Gnorc-hunting, though, Spyro had one issue left to tend to: the dragon statue sitting in the center of the island. There was only one dragon that'd be way out in the Junk Yards, and considering all of the negative news that had built up, Spyro wasn't sure he wanted to rescue him until later.

He was a hero, though. There'd be time for spiteful pranks later.

The statue shook and cracked, releasing Delbin from its grasp. "Funny, I think I rescued you already, didn't I?" Spyro smirked.

"This isn't the time for jokes, Spyro," Delbin frowned. "You've got no time to lose. Gnasty's hiding somewhere in the Junk Yards, and YOU need to be the one to stop him."

"Delbin, I don't care what you say, but I'm-" Spyro had spent so long preparing his argument that he couldn't believe Delbin's reaction. "Wait...what was that?"

"I'm sorry, Spyro," Delbin sighed. "You CAN do this. In fact, I think you're the only dragon that can. I'm sorry I've been ignoring that all of this time."

The red full-grown knelt down to his pup's level. "No matter what, keep moving. Don't let his magic get you. If he crystallizes you, we're doomed. Be careful, but fight hard. You can do it."

Spyro scratched an excited claw against the scrap metal of the Junk Yards island. "Don't worry, Gnasty doesn't stand a chance!"

Delbin gave Spyro a Peacekeepers salute. "Ago phasmatis draconis, Spyro."

The full-grown went to fly off, likely to return to the Artisans, but the young pup stopped him. "Hey, Delbin!"

"Yes?"

Spyro paused, unsure of how to start. There were so many questions he had been forced to save up, all of these things where the other dragons pointed him to Delbin for answers. Now here they were, but Gnasty was right around the corner!

"...When I get back to the Artisans, we need to talk."

oo00oo00oo

"THIS is the almighty hero of the Dragon Realms? A DRAGONLET? Oh, you've got to be kidding me! If this is the best they've got, the Dragon Realms are even more pathetic than I thought! Go home to your Mommy and Daddy, dragon-boy, Gnasty Gnorc's got big-person things to do! Come on, little thing can't even walk on hind legs yet! With those wimpy wings, he probably can't even fly!"

Spyro would've given anything to chase Gnasty down and shut his trash-talking mouth for good. However, loud and obnoxious as he was, the old Gnorc had a point. The Artisan hero was small, and had no way of climbing up onto Gnasty's platform. The crafty gnorc was untouchable - hence the cockiness.

There had to be something, but the more Spyro's eyes darted around the arena, there was nothing to be found. It couldn't end like this, could it? Gnasty couldn't win!

"Nyeh-nyeh-ne-nyeh-nyeh! Heehehehee!"

Both dragon and gnorc looked up. Hiding in one of the corridors was a thief dressed in neon-green robes. And it was flashing a big, shiny key.

"HEY!" Gnasty snapped, firing a few shots at the thief. "I told you to steal the dragon treasure! Not my keys! Go put that back before I crystallize you!"

Spyro looked back and forth between the thief and the gnorc. Gnasty's platform had a large keyhole on one side. _Perfect._

The Artisan gave chase after the thief, leaving a screaming Gnasty on his platform. "Is that the key that busts down Gnasty's wall?" Spyro asked, trying his best to keep on-par with the thief.

"Perhaps." It was the first time Spyro had ever heard one of the sneaky speedsters speak, apart from their laughs and taunts.

"Don't you guys work for him? Why'd you take it?"

"You don't know much, do you, Artisan? How are WE supposed to steal the dragon treasure if Gnasty turns it all into those devilish gnorcs?"

While the thief was distracted, Spyro smashed his horns into its side, causing it to disappear in a screaming _poof. _"I dunno, but thanks for the key," the purple hero sneered, grabbing the key and rushing back out to Gnasty's arena.

The Artisan ducked and weaved between a fury of lime-green bolts from Gnasty's crafting staff, remembering Delbin's warning not to get crystallized. (Not that he needed to be told twice. Yeurgh.) Finally reaching the wall (where Gnasty's bulk prevented him from leaning over and getting the proper angle for attack), Spyro jammed the key into the lock, grabbing it in his teeth and turning.

With a heavy _CLI-CLUNK!, _the platform fell. With his one and only defense gone, Gnasty started running down the back-alleys of scrap metal and hot oil, desperate to escape the dragon menace.

Spyro took a long breath, watching the clumsy gnorc stumble for his life. This was the moment he had been dreaming of, chasing down Gnasty Gnorc and saving the Dragon Realms. Digging his claws into the metal, Spyro took off in a blaze. Time to be a hero!

oo00oo00oo

Spyro and Sparx finally caught up to the gnorc, who was panting to catch his breath down the winding paths.

"You ready to save the Dragon Realms, Sparx?"

"I'm SO ready. Come on, hurry before he gets up!"

Without any kind of countdown, Spyro charged into the fray, delivering Gnasty a hot blast of flame before he realized what had happened. "OW!" he cursed, hopping to his feet and running off once again, a trail of gems in his wake. "Dumb dragon, I'll finish you off once and for all!"

"You can't finish me off while you're running like a girl, Gnasty!" Spyro sneered, watching Gnasty take off into another one of his elaborate factories. At first, the chase seemed easy. Gnasty wasn't nearly as agile as a dragon, let alone a speedster like Spyro, so the flighty dragonlet could easily catch a bulky gnorc on the shaky metal platforms that suspended above the river of lava.

Spyro jumped to the first platform. _Cli-CLUNK!_

It took a few moments before the duo realized what the sound signified. Sparx only noticed it when he saw the gap between himself and Spyro growing, despite neither of them moving. "Uh...Spyro?"

The dragon looked down, then across to all of the other platforms. They were retracting into the wall! "Yikes! Come on, Sparx, we gotta hurry!"

Suddenly in a rush much bigger than catching up with Gnasty, Spyro scrambled from platform to platform, coming closer and closer to tragic mistakes as the scrap metal pulled further and further into the wall. This trap must've been Gnasty's plot all along - the entire factory was lined in boiling lava, sure to fry any dragonlet that found themselves trapped in it.

Gnasty was in sight, but the platforms were not. "Ha! Got you now, dragonlet! And I heard you were fast!" the gnorc snorted with a slobbery laugh.

Spyro lowered his horns and ran as fast as he could. There were three platforms to go. He could get all four paws on the first one, but only two made it on the second. By the final platform, only the side of his front paw made it, and his heart sank as he felt his other three legs scratch air.

Swallowing his fear, Spyro pushed forward, twisting his leg to push off of the wall, sending him tumbling onto the final platform. He was safe. For now.

Gnasty jumped. No fair, how did a little baby make it all the way through that?! "Alright, dragon-boy, time to finish you off once and for-"

Gnasty wound up a swing of his crafting staff, but dropped it and crumbled to his knees when another hot scald of fire-breath bounded against him. In one swift fall, the king of gnorcs collapsed, disappearing into a large pile of shining lavender gems.

Spyro, desperate to catch his breath and gingerly avoiding his twisted paw, still managed a smile when he saw the treasure that sat before him.

"You're toast, Gnasty Gnorc."

* * *

><p><em>Yeah, I think this is the chapter hit hardest by the rewrite; definitely liked the old version better. :x But hey, we beat Gnasty, right! One of the easiest, but still heart-pounding boss fights of the Spyro series, DONE. So join us next time as we wrap up our trip through the Dragon Realms, right here on <em>Legacy_! Thanks for reading, guys! Hope you enjoyed! :)_

___**_§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §_**___


	8. A Hero's Welcome

_Hello, my little dragonlets! :) Who's ready for a new chapter? 'Cause I sure am! :D Then let's get on with the show!  
><em>

**You found a disclaimer!**  
>Spyro the Dragon, both the game and all related characters (c) Insomniac. They own the Spyro that's in this story, so nyeh.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 8: A Hero's Welcome<br>**

_"Alright, cameras rolling! Mind if we continue with the interview?"_

_"Absolutely! Eh, sorry it took so long, guys. I...kinda forgot about you."_

_"So what happened to Guh-nasty Guh-norc?"_

_"You mean Gnasty Gnorc? He's TOAST!"_

_"So, has order been restored to the Dragon Realms?"_

_"Kinda...we're still missing a lot of the dragon treasure, so I'll probably help clean that up, too."_

_"Alright, last question: What are you going to do next?"_

_"Come on! The sky's the limit!"_

oo00oo00oo

"Magnus, where are we going?"

"Patience, Spyro, we're almost there."

Spyro gave an annoyed sigh, trying to use his other senses to suss out their location. Magnus had blindfolded the dragon shortly after his interview with DNN, saying that the dragons had prepared a 'surprise' for him. So far, he didn't have the slightest idea where they were going. The air was warm and smoggy, but there was dewy grass under his paws. There was also a powerful breeze circling through.

Finally, Magnus pulled off the dragonlet's blindfold. "Alright, we're here."

Once his eyes adjusted to the light, Spyro looked around. It was a towering oasis of grassy plains and half-built factories. A huge pool of oil and lava bubbled below them, their smoggy heat blown around the enclosed area by the whipping winds. Spyro's eye was also caught by the piles upon piles of fuschia and yellow gems scattered everywhere.

"Where IS this place?"

"This is Gnasty's private stash. He's been using the lower-currency gems for his soldiers, but keeping the real riches in here for himself. We...found some thieves running around that have been blocking off all of the entrances, and you've already proven to be the best thief-hunter in the Dragon Realms, so..."

Spyro laughed. A hero's work is never done. "Alright, consider it done!"

The young Artisan went to rush into the chase, but stopped before leaving the first platform. The entrance was at the BOTTOM of Gnasty's metal oasis. "Uh...one problem. How do I get around?"

Magnus smirked. "The Magic Crafters came in here and whipped up a spell for you. Their way of saying thanks for all of your help."

"What kind of spell?"

"You've always wanted to fly, haven't you, Spyro?"

Spyro's eyes went wide. "You're kidding!"

"It's the same enchantment that we use on the speedways," Magnus continued. "Just the perfect burst of wind to help a dragonlet get airborne." The Peacekeeper gave Spyro a nod. "It's all yours. Go get 'em, soldier."

Spyro didn't need told twice. The second Magnus gave him the nod, the Artisan charged off the platform, pumping his wings as hard as he could once his paws left land. The enchanted wind responded immediately, rushing under Spyro and pressing against his wings, lifting him straight up into the air.

...Where he could see plenty of thieves wreaking havoc amongst the gem stores. But this time, he was ready for them.

oo00oo00oo

After hours of thief-chasing, gem-hunting, and plain ol' dragonlet goofing off, Spyro and Sparx finally climbed their way to the final room of Gnasty's lair. It was lit up with shimmering purple lights, likely to mimic the twenty-five-piece gems that Gnasty seemed to adore so much. On the back wall was a portrait of the Gnorc leader, standing tall with his crafter staff, a great tribute to a not-so-great leader.

The metal room was also filled with fireworks. Spyro approached the first box and found a tag on its side. 'Thought you'd want to end your adventure with a BANG!' It was probably the Magic Crafters or the Dream Weavers who set this up, but based on the pun, Spyro was leaning Dream Weavers.

"Aw, man, how awesome is this?!" Sparx buzzed with an excited backflip. "We toasted Gnasty, got back all the dragon treasure, saved the Dragon Realms, and now we get to blow it all up! Isn't this going to be so...?"

The dragonfly froze when he saw Spyro carefully drag the boxes outside, letting them detonate one by one in a safer location. "Spyro, what are you doing?"

"Trying not to blow this place to smithereens, what's it look like?"

"Oh, come on, Spyro! They set this up for us! You're ruining the fireworks show!"

"They're shooting off fireworks tonight in the Artisans."

"Still! After all Gnasty did, you don't want to torch the place?"

"Nope." Once the fireworks were all taken care of, Spyro sighed, approaching the portrait in the back. "Think of it, Sparx. Where would we be if Gnasty didn't stir up trouble? We'd still be chasing sheep and hopping on river rocks in the Artisans. We've been talking about this grand adventure since we were hatchlings, and look! We finally got it! We got our dream, we're heroes of the Dragon Realms! And it's all thanks to Gnasty. We kind of owe it all to him, don't you think?"

Sparx gave a buzz, taking a seat on Spyro's horns. "I guess you're right."

"Of course I'm right. Now come on, let's go. There's a REAL fireworks show in the Artisans that's waiting for us!"

oo00oo00oo

_"Spyro! You've defeated Guh-nasty Guh-norc, found the missing dragon eggs, saved all of the dragons, and recovered every missing piece of treasure in the Dragon Realms! How do you feel?"_

_"I'm fired up, Bob! And really happy for the dragon worlds, of course. I certainly wouldn't want to spend the rest of MY days butting heads with Gnasty Gnorc and his weird minions."_

_"What's a minion?"_

_"Eh...never mind."_

_"So you're glad that the realm-saving days are over?"_

_"A little. I'll miss the adventure, but it's good to know everyone's safe."_

_"Will dragon training not match up now that you've locked horns with Gnasty?"_

_"Definitely not. You know what they say: for every great battle, you need a good adversary. I think that Gnasty, in spite of his misguided nature, was quite the worthy opponent."_

_"Your words are wise beyond your years, Spyro. Thanks again for all you've done to save the Dragon Realms!"_

oo00oo00oo

Once the DNN team were gone, Delbin approached his pup. "You carried yourself very maturely up there, Spyro. I'm impressed."

Spyro, now able to think clearly without Gnasty on his mind, was not so eager to greet his guardian. "Uh, thanks," he accepted shyly, trying to duck out of the way and into the crowds of celebrating Artisans.

"Spyro!" Of course, that plan didn't work, so a force of habit dragged Spyro onto his haunches when Delbin called after.

The red full-grown began to shepard his pup towards Waterfall Pond, away from all of the party and back to where their adventure began. "Something's on your mind, Spyro. What is it?"

"Nothing."

"Spyro..."

"What?"

"I've been raising you since you were hatched, that's what. I can tell when something's bothering you. Besides, I seem to recall a certain purple dragon wanting to speak with me after we met in the Dragon Junk Yards..."

With a huff, Spyro discarded his sunglasses. (The interview was over, so he could afford to turn down his swag slightly.) "You've been keeping secrets from me, THAT'S what's bothering me. Every time I turned around, one of the older dragons was 'Delbin should've said this' and 'you should ask Delbin that'. And I couldn't, because as soon as the Toasty thing was over, you'd been kidnapped! So I just had to wait and wait and keep getting madder and madder and-"

"Spyro, your temper's flaring," Delbin warned. Spyro sat at the edge of Waterfall Pond, trying to keep his back to the full-grown, who sat down with a sigh.

"Spyro, you have to understand that the world is a complex place. Sometimes, it's better for you not to know things. I'm your guardian, which means it's my job to protect you the best I can. Perhaps I shouldn't have tried to keep so many things from you. I should have more trust in you. You're clearly much more capable than I expected from a dragonlet your age. That was my mistake, and I apologize."

The purple hero was still quiet, so Delbin continued. "You have my full attention, Spyro. I won't keep anything else from you. Ask away."

The silence was only broken by Spyro pawing at the water, trying to phrase his question appropriately. "...Alvar said something about me knowing what it's like to be carted off by an egg thief," he explained. "What did he mean by that?"

"First off, it means I need to have a word with my brother," Delbin tried to joke. Spyro didn't laugh, so he put his serious face back on and continued. "I was hoping to keep this secret away from you, Spyro. All of the elders were. We wanted you to have as close to a normal dragon life as you could.

"Have you ever wondered why you're the only dragonlet your age? How all of the others are a few years your minor? Well, as you know, dragons are traditionally hatched once every twelve years. It's the concentration of fairy and dragon magic at the Year of the Dragon ceremony that allows eggs to hatch. You, however, are a few years off.

"Thirteen years ago, there was a thief break-in at the fairy caves. The cloaked thieves you've been tracking down are notorious robbers that will do anything to make gems on the black market. Their biggest money-maker are dragon eggs, which they can sell off to dark sorcerers for huge riches. After the break-in, the dragons managed to apprehend all of the thieves but one, which made it all the way to the Artisans before he was captured.

"We caught the thief hiding in the valleys of Stone Hill; we heard him screaming, and caught him as he ran past, crying of burn-marks on his hands and his cloak catching fire. A few feet away, we found a purple dragon egg, which had attracted the attention of a lost, just-born dragonfly. This mystery egg was pulsing heat - a feat none of us had ever seen before - and as we went to pick it up, it cracked open, and hatched into a little purple dragon."

Spyro put a shaky paw to his head, trying to put the pieces together in his head. "Me? I was stolen out of the caves?"

"Nestor and Astor decided to watch you until the Year of the Dragon ceremony three years later," Delbin continued. "We assumed that at the end of the festivities, a mother would step forward, and we could re-unite her with her child." The red full-grown shook his head. "But all of the eggs hatched, and no one came forward. To this day, we're still not sure who your parents are or where they're from."

"...So all of this time, and you're not even my real dad. There's a chance I might not even be an Artisan."

"Indeed. You have the colors of a Dream Weaver, the horns of a Beast Maker, and the hard head of a Peacekeeper, but the Magic Crafters swear you have magical potential. But the elders all met and decided that it would be best to raise you here. Your rambunctiousness was showing even when you were three, so it was decided that I would be the best guardian for you."

Spyro fell back on his haunches. It's not every day you find out that you've been an orphan your whole life. "Wow...So Magnus taking me in when I snuck away to the Peacekeepers? And all of those dragons telling me about my 'great destiny' and all that?"

"You know the Peacekeepers, Spyro," Delbin tsked. "If they can claim a strong soldier, they will in a heartbeat. Even I have to agree with them: if I had to take my guess, I'd pin you as a Peacekeeper."

The purple hero cracked a smile. "Well, now it doesn't sound so mean when I tell Astor that I'm a Peacekeeper and don't have to listen to him."

"Well, we still don't know that for SURE, Spyro. Regardless, you should still hold your tongue before the elders. Besides, you've been an Artisan your whole life - the full-growns here don't know you as anything else. Including me."

Spyro stopped to look at his reflection in the water. Now that he had explored all of the Dragon Realms, his features became much more noteworthy. While he hadn't seen purple scales ANYWHERE in the Realms, the coloration did fit most amongst the Dream Weavers. But his big, navy eyes looked more Magic Crafter - wide and wistful, always dreaming the day away. His rugged horns and powerful paws looked more Beast Maker, but his tendency to plow them into everything until it broke was his defining Peacekeeper trait.

And on top of it all, he was born and raised in the grassy glades of Stone Hill. An Artisan, through and through.

Suddenly, his reflection was pushed aside as another memory came to Spyro's mind. "Hey, wait a second!"

"Yes, Spyro?"

"Lucas told me there's a speedway hiding here in Waterfall Pond! How come you never showed it to me? You KNOW how much I love to run around and race!"

Delbin laughed. "Spyro, how am I supposed to take you through Sunny Flight if you can't even open the door yet?"

"Huh?"

"Why else have I been so insistent on teaching you how to jump these stones?"

Spyro took a step back, staring down his old adversaries again. It was just like the day of Gnasty's attack all over again, perched at the edge of the pond under Delbin's watchful eye, tasked with the most terrifying task of his young dragon life - jumping across five stones without crashing into the water below.

But Spyro had grown a lot over the course of this adventure.

He had stared down murky swamps and waterfalls on the edge of cloud cities.

He had hopped across mountaintops and escaped evil wizards.

He had conquered tunnels of lava in Gnasty's lair.

He was the hero of the Dragon Realms.

And the purple hero gave a smile as he landed on the fifth and final stone. Jumping on a few rocks after all of that? Easy.

The pond shook once Spyro made the final jump, the five pedestals blinking in a golden glow. The wall behind the waterfall slowly collapsed, revealing a portal Spyro had never seen before: Sunny Flight.

"The speedways are rigged with the same enchantment that you found in Gnasty's treasure cove," Delbin explained. "It may take you some getting used to, since you're not the strongest flyer, and you'll have to be careful with all of the water, but-"

The red full-grown sighed as he heard Spyro and Sparx rush through the portal. "Why do I bother?"

* * *

><p><em>Hooray for taking creative liberties and tying up loose ends between games! :D You guys know what this means, right? The adventure begins anew next chapter! (For anyone who can't see it, I'll give you a hint: it looks like rain in the Dragon Realms...)<br>_

____**_§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §_**____


	9. Gateway to Glimmer

_Hello, my little dragonlets! :D Who's ready for the first big step into Act Two? I know I sure am! Like I said earlier, I think this is my favorite of the three sections of the story. It's actually my favorite game in the original trilogy! So I hope you guys enjoy, drags of cutscene and all. XD So let's switch discs, warm up those controllers, and get ready to storm Avalar! Enjoy the show! :)  
><em>

**You found a disclaimer!**  
>Spyro the Dragon, both the game and all related characters (c) Insomniac. They own the Spyro that's in this story, so nyeh.<br>Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage / Gateway to Glimmer, as well as all related characters (c) blah-blah, same copyright.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER NINE: Gateway to Glimmer<strong>

_"There, I've got it!"_

_The old Professor adjusted his tiny glasses after placing the last orb into his newly-constructed super-portal. "That's the last orb in place. Now all we need are some coordinates, and the super-portal will be ready for travel!"_

_"How about 2-2-4-7-5?" the blundering cheetah spoke up. He gave a chuckle. "That's my birthday."_

_The young faun rolled her eyes. "Hunter, really - can you take ANYTHING seriously?" While she chided, though, the cheetah pounced over to the machine, punching in his coordinates. "Hunter? Hunter, no, wait, don't-!"_

_"Don't what?" Hunter asked, just in time to press the activation key on the super-portal._

_The Professor's creation sprung to life, lighting up a stormy picture in its depths. Within moments, it gave a small ripple, and a tiny orange dinosaur in a black cloak popped out, tumbling into the bottom of the Winter Palace stairs._

_Before the tiny orange one could get to his feet, another dinosaur followed; this one much larger, green, and landing directly on top of his companion. A third came to follow, just as bulky as his partner, but blue and biped, and gave a confused growl as he dropped his giant club._

_"GET OFF!" the orange dinosaur snarled. "GET OFF OF ME, YOU USELESS BUFFOON!" The green dino dimly registered the commands and trotted to the side, freeing the small one in the black cloak, who seemed highly agitated. "AUGH! Why can't EITHER of you..."_

_His rant slowed as he got a look around. "Do...anything..." He found the Avalari, who all attempted to avoid eye-contact (except for Hunter, who waved). "Where are we?"_

_He didn't wait for an answer, instead taking a deep breath of the icy Winter Tundra air. Snow, grass, river...but no soot or smoke, the tell-tale smells of a fire dragon. "Hmm...no dragons. How wonderful!"_

_The orange dino waved his staff with a laugh. "CRUSH!" The blue behemoth looked up upon hearing the call. "Go back and pack my bags! We're moving in!" He then gave a sweeping bow as his delayed introduction. "And you all can say hello to your new king!"_

_"New king?!" In a panic, the young faun turned to the Professor. "Professor, quick! Go shut it down! Shut it down!"_

_The elderly mole ran for the machine, only to stumble in his rush, his tiny spectacles falling to the side. "Oh, goodness! I can't see the controls! Someone help me find my glasses!"_

_While the Professor struggled with the controls, the monster called Crush struggled with the concept of portal travel. "Crush, you idiot!" the tiny dino snarled. "Go THROUGH the portal! It's not that difficult!" But still, the beast struggled with the idea._

_Seeing an opportunity, the young faun sprung into action, turning to the small fairy by her side. "Zoe, quick! You and the other fairies need to grab the orbs and scatter them across Avalar!"_

_"Got it!" the little red-head nodded, giving a sharp whistle that was inaudible to the dinos and Avalari. In moments, a sea of fairies appeared, each grabbing one of the glittering green orbs that powered the Professor's machine before skittering off. Without its power-source, the portal churned to a stop, its glimmering picture fading into nothingness._

_"What? WHAT?!" The orange dinosaur fumed with rage. "CRUSH! GULP! Chase those things down and get those orbs back! NOW!" After a few moments to register the commands, the bulky behemoths slowly began their charge after the high-speed fairies. _

_The orange one spied Zoe flying off with the last orb, and grabbed onto it in a last-ditch effort to re-open the portal. (Needless to say, she was plenty capable of carrying both orb and intruder.) "AUGH! Drop the orb, you despicable little creature! I'll KILL you!"_

_When the unwanted visitors and the orbs were gone, Winter Tundra returned to its usual quiet. "Oh, this is bad," the faun whined. "This is very, VERY bad news for Avalar." Her turquoise eyes then fell on the cheetah, who was nodding in agreement to her words. "Hunter! Why didn't you chase after them?!"_

_"Oh! I, uh...I WOULD'VE gone after them, but...uh..." Unable to come up with an excuse that wouldn't earn him a hoof to the gut (as Elora was so prone to do), Hunter changed the topic. "Hey! Didn't that dino guy say something about not liking dragons?"_

_The faun's eyes lit up. "That's right! Professor, could we catch a dragon and bring it to Avalar to help us get rid of that creep?"_

_The Professor's beady eyes sparked as the equations began to race through his mind. "I think we could! Oh, yes, I most certainly think we could! We'll just have to move the portal into a world that's much better-aligned to the Dragon Realms...Glimmer should do the trick!"_

_"Then that's that! Come on, we'd better go right now!"_

oo00oo00oo

Spyro hated the rain.

To be fair, most dragons had an aversion to stormy weather. Dragonflies disliked the rain, and when a dragonfly's uncomfortable, the dragon follows. This aversion tended to worsen in the fire-breathing dragons (like a certain hero of the Dragon Realms), as the wet air made it difficult to warm the fire glands. On top of all of this came Spyro's old fear of the water.

Spyro hated the rain.

The purple dragon sighed. The stormcloud over the Artisans had been overhead for days, and didn't seem to be going anywhere. Normally, he would've fled to the hot and sunny deserts of the Peacekeepers, but Marco refused to fly through the storm, and the still-flightless dragonlet had no other way to traverse the Realms.

So he remained in the Artisans, tucked under a tree, waiting out the storm. And if there was one thing Spyro hated more than rain, it was sitting still.

"Ugh, is this rain EVER going to stop?" the purple Artisan groaned, watching a small herd of sheep prance by. "I forget what the sun looks like."

"Well, what are we gonna do?" Sparx buzzed, settling onto his dragon-brother's snout.

Spyro sighed, stretching his front paws. That was the new million-gem question. The novelty of being the young hero of the Dragon Realms wore off rather quickly, especially since Gnasty's defeat brought a new age of peace to the kingdom. And just like the old age of peace, it was BORING. No roaming gnorcs, no crafty thieves, no rescuing dragons and reclaiming treasure - it was back to dragonlet training, chasing sheep with Delbin and bashing crates with Magnus.

Granted, he was still the young hero, and it had its perks. He could come and go throughout the Realms as he pleased, which was still a nice change, even a year later. (He still steered as far clear from the Dream Weavers as he could manage, though.) He had mastered all of the speedways, which was no easy feat, and managed to post times that put even the fastest of the full-growns to shame. He practiced his charging in the High Caves, practiced his glides in the Tree Tops, and even put in his time cleaning up the Dragon Junk Yards. (He made it his self-appointed duty to keep the full-growns out of Gnasty's treasure cove, for fear that they would discover his lair still intact and force him to do away with it.)

But a year moves quickly in the Dragon Realms. At least, it does if you're Spyro. So their long list of things to do and areas to explore evaporated long ago. The Artisan grew up with the itch for adventure, but now that he had his first taste, he wanted more. Not at the cost of a new evildoer capturing the full-growns and taking over the Dragon Realms, but...just a little bit of adventure. Just something else to do.

And right now, the rainclouds were standing between Spyro and Sparx and their "something else to do".

"We just need to get out of the Artisans," Spyro finally said. "Y'know, go somewhere warm and sunny. Just to get out of the rain for a while."

Sparx flickered in an excited sparkle of gold. "Spyro, that's it!"

"What's it?" Spyro asked, crossing his eyes to look down at the dragonfly on his nose.

"Dragon Shores!"

The purple dragonlet smiled at the idea. With all of the scrap metal left over in the Junk Yards and Beast Maker swamps, the remaining gnorcs who weren't part of Gnasty's self-made empire decided to do something nice to honor Spyro and thank the dragons for doing away with their vicious overlord. And so, they created Dragon Shores. In one of the sunnier areas of the ocean that housed the Junk Yards, the gnorcs found a deserted island and used all of the scrap to build the perfect arena to house their young savior: an amusement park. It was filled with thrilling coasters and tons of games for the dragonlets, as well as a sparkling beach for their guardians to relax. (It also featured a Tunnel of Love, which Spyro was unlucky enough to pass by when the pink dragonlet from the Dream Weavers appeared. Yuck.)

It was, at its core, a thank-you gift to Spyro and Sparx from the gnorcs, but the heroic duo had only been to the park once, on its opening day. After that single day of play, they immediately dove back into their goal of conquering the Sunny Flight speedway.

It had been a whole year since then; a long, busy year. A little vacation couldn't hurt, right? Just until the storm blew over?

"Alright, sounds like a plan! Last one there's a gnorc!"

oo00oo00oo

Elora paced nervously, peeking around the corner every few minutes, eyes darting across the sparkling landscape of Glimmer in search of the invading riptocs. "Oh, I can't take this anymore! Is it ready yet, Professor?"

The elderly mole continued calmly scribbling notes onto his clipboard, eyes glued to the sparkling green and gold globes in front of him. "Almost. I've just got to make a few more adjustments to the orbs, but we're close."

Hunter's attention was on the stormy picture beginning to form in the white marble arch. "A-Are you sure we should be doing this? I-I mean...maybe this isn't the best idea! What if we get the dragon here, and it just makes Ripto angrier?"

"Oh, stop fidgeting, Hunter!" Elora snapped, giving the cheetah a quick kick to the leg. "Stop being so nervous, you're making me nervous."

"Of course I'm nervous!" Hunter replied. "Did you SEE the Professor's books? Their teeth are, like, THIS!" He made an exaggerated gesture with his hands. "A-And claws like THIS!" Again, he exaggerated the gesture. "A-And they spit fire! That sounds WAY worse than Ripto!"

"Hunter, that's the POINT! A dragon's our only chance to get Ripto out of Avalar! Besides, bringing in the dragon was YOUR idea."

Before Hunter could continue to argue, the Professor interrupted. "I got it, I got it!" he exclaimed, the green orbs bouncing and sparkling in tune to his excitement. "I got the dragon!"

The portal gave a shudder as a flurry of purple and gold rolled out of its stormy skies, and the Avalari nervously stepped back as the otherworldly creature got to its feet.

Spyro took a few seconds to reorient as he stumbled to his paws. The Dragon Shores portal was new and known for being faulty, but he had never suffered such turbulence between worlds before. "Ouch...someone needs to fix the wind tunnel on that portal, that's one rough landing."

Once onto his feet, Spyro looked around, immediately noticing the lack of sparkling beaches and miles of ocean that typically greeted goers of Dragon Shores. "Uhm...did they move the portal, or did we take a wrong turn?" Sparx buzzed confusedly.

"Not sure." Finally, the Artisan laid eyes on the strange beings before him. "Uhm...hi, guys! ...Do you guys know which way to the beach?"

Spyro took a nervous step back as all eyes were on him. Immediately following the fall of Gnasty, there was a bit of star-shock that followed him around, but Spyro was known throughout the Realms for his wandering, so sightings became less precious. He hadn't received weird looks in ages, and it was slightly bothersome. "What's the matter, you guys never see a dragon before?" he sneered.

Hunter was the first to speak the question on everybody's mind. "Wait...YOU'RE a dragon?"

Spyro knew that 'wow, you're a little small to be a dragon' tone ALL too well. "You got a problem with that, pussycat?" the purple Artisan snorted, blowing hot steam in the cheetah's direction. With a panicked meow, Hunter ducked behind Elora for safety.

Before he could pry the strangers for answers (or directions), the ground shook as thunderous footsteps ran towards them, and all were blown aside when a large fireball came down and shattered the marble portal.

The Avalari looked up in panic as they saw Ripto's giant dino-cronies looming overhead. "Well, well, well, what have we here?" Ripto laughed, sitting comfortably on Gulp's head. "It looks like you all forgot to invite me to the party!"

Before anyone could stop him, Spyro stepped forward. "Sorry, shorty, maybe you'll make the guest-list next time. You mind taking your little rock on a stick and getting out of our way?"

Ripto jumped back, doing all he could to maintain a look of ferocity. "Dragon?! You brought a DRAGON into Avalar?!"

"Seriously, has nobody ever seen a dragon before?" Sparx asked with a buzz.

The sorcerer angrily brandished his staff, stamping a foot on the dim-witted Gulp's head. "OOOH! I _HATE _dragons! How DARE you bring one of those things into MY kingdom?!"

"In case you forgot, Ripto..." _ZAP! _A small fairy flew into the fray, delivering a swift bolt of lightning to Ripto's hide. "Avalar isn't YOUR kingdom!"

Ripto gave a yelp, then turned his attention to the fairy. "Oh, not you little brats again! Crush, kill it! KILL IT!"

Crush took a moment to look at the hefty club in his hand, then took a clunky swing at the red-headed fae. She quickly flew out of harm's way, leaving Crush's club free to continue its path and knock Ripto to the ground with an _oof! _The orange sorcerer dropped his staff, leaving it to glimmer helplessly in the colorful lights of Glimmer.

Gulp mistook it for a treat and promptly swallowed it, giving an explosive belch afterwards.

Ripto fumed, shaking with rage and frustration. "GULP! YOU IMBECILE! You _ATE _my scepter!"

As if apologetically, Gulp ducked under Ripto's tiny form and flung the orange dino up onto his back. Now facing down his new archnemesis without his most powerful weapon, Ripto and minions had no choice but to retreat...for now. "Consider yourself lucky, dragon! I'll deal with YOU later!"

Spyro scoffed. If he had already locked horns with Gnasty and friends, he wasn't about to be afraid of a dino barely bigger than he was. "Who was THAT jerk?"

"That was Ripto," Elora was quick to explain. "And we need YOU to get rid of him. He's been causing all sorts of trouble in Avalar!" She looked off into the distance, where Ripto had just ran off, then shook her head. "But I don't have time to explain."

She tossed Spyro and Sparx a grayish-brown book. "Here, take this guidebook - you'll need it. I need to go follow Ripto and see what he's up to! Find the Gemcutters, they'll help you out. I'll see you in Summer Forest later!"

Elora ran off, quickly followed by a panicked Hunter, who seemed desperate for ANY excuse to get away from the dragon, leaving Spyro and Sparx alone in this mysterious new world.

"Spyro, how do we get into these messes?" Sparx buzzed with a sigh.

The young Artisan, on the other hand, couldn't be more excited. "Sparx, are you kidding? Weren't we JUST saying we need a new adventure?"

"No, YOU were saying we need a new adventure. My wings still hurt from that speedway run we did last week."

"Point is, Sparx, we're heroes now. Heroes do hero stuff. Ripto's just one more gnorc to add to the list! Come on, let's go!"

* * *

><p><em>Welcome to Glimmer, everyone! Hope you enjoyed, and thanks for reading! See you next time! :)<br>_

_____**_§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §_**_____


	10. Gems and Talismans

_[flailing like an inflatable wavy tube man] DEAR GOD IS IT SATURDAY ALREADY?! BWAH, UPDATES._

**You found a disclaimer!**  
>Spyro the Dragon, both the game and all related characters (c) Insomniac. They own the Spyro that's in this story, so nyeh.<br>Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage / Gateway to Glimmer, as well as all related characters (c) blah-blah, same copyright.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER TEN: Gems and Talismans<strong>

And so, the adventure begins anew.

Surprisingly, this new land wasn't so different from the Dragon Realms they had left behind. These sparkling gold mines were littered with dragon treasure, filling the caverns with colorful glows that would've driven any gnorc mad with gem-fever. The pleasant sunshine was reminiscent of the Artisans (when they weren't covered by stormclouds), and a light breeze blew the dewy grass from one side to the other.

However, like the Dragon Realms, it was also filled with unfriendly creatures. In this area, they were giggling blue lizards with pick-axes tossed over their shoulders. Spyro found two or three of them harassing a mouse in a hard-hat, then scared them off with a puff of flame and a threatening head-butt.

"Wow, thanks for the help!" the little mouse (who later introduced himself as Pogo) whistled, hopping over to his hero. "You must be that dragon the Professor grabbed from the other part of the world!"

"That'd be me. You...mind telling me where I got grabbed to? I didn't get to talk to your, uh...Professor."

"Oh, right! This is Glimmer!" Pogo looked around, nervously adjusting his hat. "I, uh...wish it looked a little nicer for ya, dragon, but Ripto's got these lizards messing everything up and stealing all of our treasure!"

Spyro frowned a bit. He remembered how much of a mess Gnasty caused by getting his hands on piles of treasures, and he was...well, a gnorc. The little sorcerer already seemed much smarter than Gnasty, which meant he could cause a lot more chaos with a chunk of gems.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of those lizards for ya!" Spyro smirked, unable to turn down a challenge. (Even though he was supposed to be on a mission already...where was he supposed to meet that goat-girl? Something Forest?)

Pogo looked ecstatic. "Oh, thanks, Spyro! You'd really be doing us a favor!"

oo00oo00oo

Yes, this new land of...Ah-vah-lar? was strange and filled with exotic creatures. But it still held plenty of comforts from home, one of which nearly buzzed into Spyro as he moved to enter the inner part of the Glimmer gem mines. "Oh, hey, Spyro!"

She was a fairy - the one that picked a fight with Ripto earlier, if the Artisan's eyes weren't mistaken. Her rainbow wings sprinkled golden fairy dust down as she floated, and her little yellow dress and bouncing red ponytail sparkled even in the dim light of the Glimmer caves.

Spyro paused before answering. Most fairies looked similar, and he didn't want to offend this one by not knowing her name. "Uhm...hi, there...?"

The fairy giggled and spared him the confusion. "Sorry, we haven't met yet. My name's Zoe; I'm friends with Elora and Hunter, those people you met when you came in through the portal."

"So...how do you know my name?"

Zoe scoffed. "Duh! You're the hero of the Dragon Realms, right? The one who roasted Gnasty Gnorc? I have family that lives in Lofty Castle, so I heard all about you when you got rid of the gnorcs that were trying to lock them up."

"Wait, wait, wait," the purple dragon said, falling back on his haunches to wave a paw. "Lofty Castle? You mean you're from the Dragon Realms?"

"Kind of. I moved to Avalar when I was just a sprite. Little too crazy in the Dream Weavers world, y'know?"

"Oh, don't worry, I don't blame you. But wait, this place and the Dragon Realms are connected? How come I've never heard of this place?"

"The world's a lot bigger than just the Dragon Realms, Spyro," Zoe giggled. "Avalar's just another part of it - one that doesn't house any dragons. They do their thing and we do ours, y'know?"

To be fair, Spyro wasn't aware of anything outside the Artisans and the Peacekeepers before Gnasty's attack. Nothing like an evil warlock trying to take over the world to broaden your horizons. "Anyway, I heard you're helping out the Gemcutters, so I should go find Elora and make sure everything's alright," Zoe said. "It was really nice to meet you, Spyro! Thanks again for helping us!"

She gave him a playful zap of fairy magic ("For good luck!"), then disappeared in a golden sparkle.

Maybe Avalar wasn't so strange after all.

oo00oo00oo

Moneybags gave a low chuckle under his breath, double-checking his adjustments to the Gemcutter bridge. Of course, Avalar was as much his home as anyone else's, and he was horrified at the idea of Ripto taking it over and destroying it. (Especially after all of the money he had put into renovating the trifecta castles...)

But then he heard Elora's wild plans to fight Ripto. A DRAGON, and it was going to be right here in Glimmer! Moneybags may not have been as well-read or thoughtful as the Professor, but he was a businessman, one with plenty of years of schooling that happened to include a few classes in otherworld lore during his years at Metropolis University.

So he knew that where there were dragons, the magical dragon treasure was sure to follow.

It was the bear's lifelong dream to have a sack of dragon treasure, which was easily considered one of the most priceless materials in the whole world. This was his chance! So Ripto or no Ripto, he planned to take it.

Indeed, as soon as Moneybags put the finishing touches on his bridge, he heard the quick pitter-patter of dragon paws charging down the stairs. Time to put his years as a theater minor to work.

The purple Artisan rounded the corner, only to find a plump bear in a posh suit sitting by the steps to...the shallow chasm down below. Huh, odd place to put stairs.

"Oh, if it isn't our glorious hero of Avalar!" the bear fawned. "My name's Moneybags, and I hear you are Spyro, the dragon sent to save us from that horrid wretch, Ripto!"

"Yeah, something like that," Spyro said with a suspicious tilt of his head. "Nice to meet you. Mind letting me get through? The Gemcutters have a lizard problem I need to take care of."

"Oh, Spyro," Moneybags tsked. "I'd LOVE to let you pass, but..." He motioned to the 'stairs' at the edge of the chasm, as well as a matching set on the other side. "Well, as you can see, the Gemcutter Bridge is out. Those _dastardly _lizards must have knocked it out! Will Ripto's terror never cease? I feel so terrible. See, I could put the bridge back...but it's expensive, rebuilding bridges and all, and I'm not a rich bear! I could put it back for you if you loaned me...say, a hundred gems?"

Instead of an immediate response, Spyro hopped onto the steps, eyeing the short distance between the chasms. "Y'know, I'd love to help ya out, but...I think I can handle this."

"...Excuse me?"

The dragon took a few steps back, then charged up the steps, kicking off the ledge as hard as his powerful legs could manage. Once in the air, he pumped his wings with all his might, stirring up just enough wind to carry him to the other side. He may not have been a flyer yet, but the speedways worked wonders on his undertrained wings. His gliding was better than ever!

Once solidly on the other side, Spyro waved at the bear. "Sorry, but I've got work to do! Good luck with getting those gems!"

And he was gone. Just like that.

Moneybags scoffed, flipping the switch to restore the bridge. Getting to the dragon treasure was going to be more difficult than he thought.

oo00oo00oo

"Oh, Spyro, thanks so much for taking care of those lizards!" Twitchy sighed, escorting the dragon hero inside of the Glimmer gem storage.

"No problem - just another day in the life of a hero."

They came up to a portal, which seemed to lead back to sunny fields and lush, green forests. "Well, we heard all about you from Elora and the Professor. This portal will take you back to Summer Forest; they'll take it from there and help you through the rest of your trip in Avalar."

"Thanks." Spyro turned to jump through the portal, ready to flame the bad guy and get back to Dragon Shores.

"Whoa, wait, wait!" Or not. Spyro turned to find his guide, who was now holding a sparkling golden pick-axe. "This is the Glimmer talisman," he explained. "We want you to have it as a sign of our gratitude! Hopefully, it'll help you out on your journey!"

"Okay..." Not sure what to do with the trinket, Sparx picked it up and stowed it in the magic hold-all guidebook that the goat-girl gave them before disappearing.

Magic golden pick-axe? Guess it matched the little green orbs they picked up. Alright, so maybe Avalar wasn't just like the Dragon Realms, and maybe there was going to be more to world-saving than jumping after the dino and torching him to the Junk Yards.

There were a lot of questions left to answer. The only place to get those answers was in Summer Forest.

oo00oo00oo

Elora watched with a sigh as the turquoise flags of Summer Castle were yanked from their masts, only to be replaced by sneering portraits of Ripto. "Oh, no..."

The faun's ears perked when the portal behind her rippled, and turned to find their dragon savior flying through it. "Hey, you made it!"

"Yeah, duh," Spyro smirked. "Now, uh...you mind explaining the story a little bit? Like...why I'm here and not napping on the beach at Dragon Shores?"

"Right," Elora answered sheepishly. She was fine with the idea of kidnapping a dragon from the other side of the world, but realizing that they had ruined its vacation was a bit unsettling. (Especially if they were as temperamental and vicious as the Professor's books promised.) "Sorry I didn't have time to explain things earlier."

"Well, you look like you have time now."

She sighed, kicking her hooves. "Gosh, where do I start?"

"Do you have a name?"

"Huh?" The faun blushed when she realized they hadn't even gotten that far into introductions. "Oh, right! Sorry. My name's Elora."

"There you go, that's a start," Spyro laughed. "I'm Spyro, and this is Sparx," he introduced, nodding towards the golden dragonfly at his horns. The young Artisan paused when he noticed Elora shooting him strange looks again. "...Seriously, do you guys have dragon problems here or what?"

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Elora apologized, immediately looking away. "It's just...we don't have dragons in Avalar, and-"

"Well, we don't have other creatures in the Dragon Realms, but I'm not staring at you guys." As if to prove his point, Spyro started circling his hostess, playfully trying to make her as uncomfortable as they were making him. "What are you supposed to BE, anyway? Some kind of goat?"

Elora resisted the urge to kick the young dragon in the face. "I'm a FAUN, you dork," she grumbled instead.

"See? Now we're getting to know each other."

The faun sighed, eyes falling back on the portal Spyro had just exited. "Did you talk to the Gemcutters in Glimmer?"

"Yeah, yeah," Spyro answered. "Cleaned out the lizards, talked to your fairy friend, lit their lamps, got some magic golden pick axe-"

"Whoa, whoa, wait!" Elora interrupted. "Back up. Magic pick?"

"Yeah. They called it, uhm...a talisman, or something like that."

"They _GAVE _you their talisman?"

"Yeah...I dunno, I just put it in that guidebook you gave me. What, was that bad?"

"No, Spyro, that's great! See, there are fourteen magical talismans here in Avalar; each of the major worlds has one. If you can go to each of the worlds and get enough of them, they should help you in your fight against Ripto."

Deciding to ignore the talismans for now, Spyro changed the subject. "Alright, so mind telling me what's the deal with Mr. Not so tall, dark, nor scary?"

Elora opened her mouth to answer, but was interrupted by another ripple of the portal; this one revealing the cheetah that accompanied her earlier. "Hunter!" she scolded instead. "Where have you been? I lost you in Glimmer and thought Ripto might've gotten you!"

"Ripto didn't get me!" Hunter argued before quickly shying off. "I just...y'know, got a...little lost, that's all."

"That happen a lot, pussycat?" Spyro teased. Hunter reacted a lot like the dragonlets in the Artisans: way too easy to rattle, but it was too much fun to do.

The cheetah tried to maintain a tough face in the presence of the big, scary dragon. "Hey, what's the dragon still doing here?"

"Hunter, be nice," Elora ordered. "This is Spyro, and he's going to help us collect the talismans!"

Hunter and Spyro flashed each other looks of confusion before both turning to Elora. "I am?" "He is?"

Elora sighed. "Spyro, I'm sorry we dragged you into this. I know you want to get back to your vacation, but you can't get to Dragon Shores right now!"

She nodded the dragon over so he could catch a glimpse of Ripto's flags on Summer Castle. "That sorcerer you saw earlier? That was Ripto. He and his monsters broke into Avalar, and now they've taken over all of Summer Forest! We brought you in because we thought a dragon would be our best bet in getting rid of him."

Spyro stood up a bit straighter, feeling his ego inflate under him. "Well, luckily for you guys, I'm one of the top world-savers in the Dragon Realms."

Elora seemed ecstatic to have the dragon's help, but Hunter still seemed sour. "Hey, hey, why's he have to go get all of the talismans? If we need to go get 'em, I could do it! Why don't we just send the dragon into Summer Castle and torch Ripto out?"

"Hunter, you can't even keep track of your running shoes," Elora tsked. "How can we trust you with the fourteen talismans?"

The cheetah paused for a moment, but unable to retort, snapped his fingers and pounced off. "Don't worry, Spyro, he's just pouting," Elora apologized. "Hunter's so used to thinking he's the big hero, but he's such a bumbler. He won't give you any trouble."

"Oh, I'm not worried," Spyro laughed. If anything, _he _was going to be the one giving _Hunter _trouble.

"You'll need any help you can get to catch Ripto and get back to Dragon Shores," Elora continued, "so just keep an eye out for the talismans. Oh! And if you find any green and gold balls lying around, those are orbs - pick those up, too. You can stow all of it in your guidebook that I gave you."

"Alright. How hard could it be? Find some talismans, give Ripto the ol' hot-foot, and I'll be in Dragon Shores by lunchtime!"

* * *

><p><em>The good ol' days, am I right, guys? XD Ah, memories. (PS, if you didn't know, it's actually possible to clear out Glimmer without paying Moneybags at the bridge! Or learning how to climb, for that matter. :) Look it up on YouTube if you haven't seen it before.)<br>_

_Anyway, thanks for reading, guys! Hope you enjoyed, and I'll see you next time!_

_____**_§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §_**_____


	11. Avalar

_Hi, my little dragonlets! Ready for an update? Then let's get the show on the road!  
><em>

**You found a disclaimer!**  
>Spyro the Dragon, both the game and all related characters (c) Insomniac. They own the Spyro that's in this story, so nyeh.<br>Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage / Gateway to Glimmer, as well as all related characters (c) blah-blah, same copyright.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER ELEVEN: Avalar<strong>

Hunter grumbled to himself as he stretched to prepare for his morning workout. He was the hero of Avalar - the fastest runner, the highest jumper, the all-around best Summer Forest had to offer.

Then the dragon showed up.

Granted, Elora was never his number-one fan. She always thought of him as a bit of a bumbler and never trusted him with much, even though they were friends in a looser sense of the word. But as soon as the dragon showed up, she was throwing flowers at his feet. What made that little twerp dragon so special? The thing was half his size. Not only that, but he had an attitude. 'I'm the hero of the Dragon Realms! I can save the world!' Likely story.

So you can imagine Hunter's delight when he heard the familiar sneer of "hey, pussycat!" rushing up behind him.

The cheetah gave the dragon as little recognition as possible. "Dragon."

"Spyro."

"Whatever."

"Whatcha doin'?"

"Training." The cheetah gave an exaggerated stretch. "Yeah, I've got this real intense training regiment. Do it every morning so I keep in tip-top riptoc kickin' shape."

Spyro smirked, recalling Elora's nags from their previous encounter. "So you found your running shoes, then?" If Hunter were a wittier cheetah, he would've had a clever comeback. Unfortunately, banter wasn't one of his strong points, so he chose to say nothing.

The Artisan eyed the series of steps and platforms in front of them. "Mind if I train with you? I'm always up for a challenge. "

"You sure those tiny baby dragon legs can keep up?" Hunter sneered. Most of the steps were bigger than Spyro was; was he ASKING to be humiliated?

...Then again, that didn't sound like a terrible idea.

Spyro bit his temperamental tongue; it wouldn't look good on his hero-image if he was torching up a so-called teammate. "I think I can take care of myself. Think you can keep up with a dragon on only two legs?"

"Oh, I'll show you two legs!" Hunter bounded up the first few steps, stopping at the edge of the first small marble tower built into the hillside of Summer Forest. "Can you get up here?"

With very little effort, Spyro hopped up the steps himself. "Easy."

"Hmph." The cheetah took one last stretch, then ran for the edge of the tower and jumped, solidly landing on the second tower a short distance away. "How about _that?_"

As he watched the dragon hop into the air and gently glide over to the second tower, Hunter suddenly realized the mistake he made in challenging something with wings to a distance jumping competition. "Come on, I thought you said this was hard!" Spyro laughed.

"Don't get cocky yet, dragon," Hunter warned. "This last one's the hardest of them all." Going as far back as the short platform would allow, the cheetah ran forward as fast as his powerful legs would go, kicking off with all of his might. He flew through the skies, crouched and ready to land on the top of the final tower.

...Which only came into reach in time for Hunter to grab its edge with the tips of his paw.

The cheetah gave a panicked meow as he tried to claw back up to safety. The Idol Springs portal was down below, including the small river that surrounded it. "Help! Oh, come on, I don't want to fall! I hate the water! I'll get my fur wet! HELP!"

Heroes are programmed differently than most folk. The sound of the word 'help' triggers their reflexes, sending them rushing towards the scene of the problem. Spyro was no different, even if it _was _Hunter overreacting. The Artisan took a similar running start, rushing off of the platform and gliding towards the final one. Like Hunter, his trajectory wasn't quite enough to cross, but with an extra push from his newly-trained wings, Spyro managed to clear the gap, rushing over and dragging Hunter back up onto the platform alongside him.

Once free from the threat of extra grooming and mild discomfort, Hunter brushed the dragon away. "Hey, what're you doin'? Get off!"

Spyro snorted. "You're welcome."

Hunter brushed himself before climbing down. "That was just a test, dragon! If I had my running shoes, I could've cleared that gap easy!"

Spyro rolled his eyes. Hey, nobody said the life of a hero was all parties and thank-you gifts, right? Still, the young hero couldn't help but laugh as he watched Hunter run off towards Rainbow Bridge. There was something about his attitude, his stubborn sense of 'I can do anything', his bloated ego and obnoxious pride.

He'd never tell Hunter, but it rang true of a certain young purple Artisan that wasn't a fan of the water, either.

oo00oo00oo

If you had asked this time last year, Spyro would've told you that he hated the water. However, that had surprisingly changed after his adventures through the Dragon Realms. After jumping over bottomless chasms, poisonous swamps, and colorful pools of acid, river water isn't nearly as terrifying. So Spyro had made it his mission to learn how to swim...if for no other reason than to handle the speedways, most of which were built in the ocean.

So now the young Artisan could swim...relatively-speaking. He was quite good at floating, and even learned to enjoy paddling his way across the surface of a lake. But that was where the friendship ended; Spyro still never ducked his head underwater.

In the Dragon Realms, this posed no problems. In Avalar, however, it proved to be trouble. There were the faint glimmers of gems sparkling from the bottom of the Summer Lake, and Elora had warned that it was the only way into Summer Castle...and the portals that were hidden within, all hiding the remaining talismans, not to mention Ripto himself. Spyro dared not reveal his hydrophobic secret, so instead, he spent a good bit of time circling the surface, working his Artisan wit to find another way inside.

"Hey, Spyro, what's up?"

The purple dragon gave a less-than-manly yelp, panickedly splashing to keep his head above water. He snapped back to the stone shore, where Elora was now sitting. "Hey, didn't the Professor's books teach you not to sneak up on a dragon?"

"Sorry, Spyro," the faun giggled, dipping her hooves into the water. "What're you doin'?"

"Oh, y'know...just takin' a break."

"...Mind if I hang out, then?"

"Uh...sure."

A bit of awkward silence settled between the sudden allies. The faun looked up at Summer Castle, where Ripto's flags still loomed over the forest.

"You really think you can beat Ripto?" she asked, jumping to the first topic she could think of.

"Yep. Trust me, I'm a master at this world-saving business."

"He's also really modest," Sparx buzzed with a laugh, dipping and dodging the annoyed swipe of Spyro's tail.

"Zoe told me you're a big hero in the Dragon Realms, but she never told me the full story. What happened?"

Desperate for an excuse to get out of the water and not look so foolish, Spyro paddled to shore and climbed out, taking a moment to shake himself dry. Elora took the moment to get a closer look at their dragon savior; she hadn't had the chance to just sit and talk to him since he arrived, so it was interesting to actually SEE the young dragon up close.

His scales were the major eye-catcher. They were a gorgeous shade of purple and glistened as the water-drops rolled off of them, but Elora also noticed that they were plenty beat up. Most of them were edged in a charcoal-black, and the ones on his back and legs seemed particularly worn and damaged. His horns looked quite sharp from a glance, but up close, they were tarnished and worn down from overuse. He flapped his wings, using the rush of air to further dry the water, and Elora could feel the blast from her seat. The golden muscles were slim, but powerful, and the faun half-expected the young dragon to take off in flight at any second.

"Elora? You're staring again."

"Huh? Oh, sorry, sorry!"

Spyro and Sparx took turns relaying the story of Gnasty's defeat to Elora, the story said to become the newest legend of the Dragon Realms. (To be specific, Spyro told the story and Sparx corrected anything that Spyro had exaggerated.) He explained each of the six worlds, detailing the highlights of his adventure from each realm. (She gave a cringe when he explained the black chars on his scales had come from violent shocks in Terrace Village.) They told her about the kidnapping of the full-grown dragons, rescuing them all from crystal prisons before nearly meeting their demise in the lava pits of Gnasty's factories.

Elora was completely entranced by the story. "Wow, Spyro, that sounds amazing!" she fawned once they had finished.

Spyro gave a cocky smirk. "Yeah, it was pretty sweet."

Still, the faun had one question hanging on her mind, and no amount of Spyro's epic tales would answer it. "...Mind if I ask something, though?"

"If it'll get you to stop staring at me so much, ask away."

"W-Well, the Professor's books showed that dragons are kind of...y'know..."

Spyro scoffed, recognizing the tone in her voice. "Bigger?" Elora bit her lip nervously, afraid she had offended the dragon. "Well, don't worry, the Professor's books aren't wrong. The full-growns and elders are a lot bigger than I am, so if you're looking for big, scaly monsters to be afraid of, they're there."

"Sorry, I just-"

"Don't be sorry. I get that a lot from the elders. I'm kind of small for my age. Turns out it's nice for not getting crystallized by crazy gnorcs."

Elora laughed, begging to break the awkward tension. "Yeah, I guess it would. So...if you don't mind my asking, how old are you?"

"Fourteen."

"That's it?"

"Yeah. You got a problem with that?"

"No, not at all!" If anything, Elora was even more impressed by Spyro's resume. He had done all of that adventuring, and he was nearly four years her minor. Could they have grabbed a better dragon from the Realms?

Silence settled in again, and Elora felt the need to excuse herself before her gabby faun mouth said something else to upset their dragon guest. "Y-You should probably get back to work on...y'know, the talismans and stuff," she said quickly, moving to get up. "I told you about the other portals inside of the Castle, right?"

Nervous navy eyes returned to the water, Spyro's old nemesis. "Y-Yeah, you did."

"Something wrong?"

Spyro couldn't come up with something particularly witty, so Sparx took up the chance to partake in his favorite pastime: embarrassing Spyro. "Yeah, something's wrong - you hid your portals underwater and grabbed a dragon who doesn't know how to swim."

"SPARX!"

Spyro took a few nasty swipes at his dragonfly, expecting Elora to start laughing, ESPECIALLY after he had made himself sound so cool with that story-telling. How pathetic did he seem? A big, scary dragon that didn't know how to swim.

Instead, though, the faun just smiled. "Is that all? Why didn't you say so?"

She sat back down, lowering herself into the water. Elora could get in and out of Summer Castle, but that was where her skill in the water ended. Hooves weren't made for paddling. Still, if getting in the water helped get Ripto out of Avalar, it was a clumsy chance she had to take. When faun hit the water, dragon shortly followed.

"It's just like swimming on top of the water," she explained, putting forth her best effort to talk and stay above water at the same time. "You just have to take a big breath, then duck your head under. Once you get past that part, it's a lot easier."

Still, the uncertainty was present in Spyro's eyes. "Look, how about I do it with you, okay? We'll both go under at the same time; it's really not that bad, trust me."

_Trust me. _It was a bit of a tall order from a girl Spyro had just met a few hours ago. When she helped build a portal that kidnapped him from Dragon Shores to risk his life and fight an evil sorcerer.

Spyro wasn't sure what was stranger: the fact that she was asking for his trust, or the fact that he actually trusted her.

"Alright." One. Two. Three.

Both dragon and Avalari took a big breath after three, just before diving under the surface of the water. Spyro gave a shiver as the unfamiliar sensation of cold swept over his wings and horns, and it took him a few uncomfortable paddles before his legs were fully responsive. Knowing Elora's watchful eye was overhead, Spyro swam a small lap in the Summer Lake, ducking in and out of the schools of fish that lived within it.

Swimming was surprisingly pleasant; cold, but pleasant. Spyro's inner speed-demon was excited to discover that it was quite a bit like charging on land. Paddling became more like running as his paws cut through the water, and if he put his horns down and got a proper kick, he could build up plenty of speed.

During his laps, the Artisan felt a strange tug on his tail. Instinct taking over, he spun around and took a deep breath, sending out a fiery spurt at his attacker.

Except that he was underwater. So Elora did her best to withhold a laugh when Spyro whipped around and let out a menacing stream of bubbles at her. She pointed towards the door of Summer Castle, then clumsily kicked towards it.

Spyro took a second to realize what had just happened. Mainly, the fact that he was comfortably breathing like he were up on dry land. All of this time being afraid of the water, and no one cared to tell him he could breathe underwater?

"Some types of dragons can breathe underwater," Sparx buzzed (from the safety of a bubble he created for himself with the beats of his wings), noting Spyro's look of confusion. "I just thought it was only for the water-breath dragons." Obviously, both dragon and dragonfly failed to see the logic in that; Spyro was CLEARLY a fire-breath dragon.

Spyro couldn't bring himself to speak under the water, but the look on his face said it all: _How come every time we leave home, we find more stuff to ask Delbin?_

Putting the water-mystery aside, Spyro turned attention back to his swimming coach, who was still struggling to propel through the water with her chunky hooves. Deciding to lend a hand, Spyro charged through the water until he was directly under her, then brushed his horns against her hands.

Elora paused for a second, not sure what Spyro was suggesting, but hesitantly took the golden horns in her hands. Once she had a grip, the dragon kicked off towards the castle, shooting up to the entryway where the water turned to dry land once more. The faun caught her breath once they broke the surface, while Spyro was kind enough to swim her over to the base of the spiral stairs.

"...Thanks for the help. I'm not a great swimmer."

"Don't worry. Neither am I."

oo00oo00oo

After a long day of orb-finding, riptoc-charging, Hunter-teasing and Moneybags-harassing, the ever-present sun had finally fallen, sending the Summer Forest into a warm, rippling night. With all of the creatures laying down for bed, the forest took on a peaceful quiet, with the only ambiance provided by the rustling of leaves in the breeze and the bubbling of the Glimmer stream.

Before turning in for the night, Elora decided to meet Spyro down in the forest beyond Rainbow Bridge, back by the Glimmer portal where they had officially first met.

"Thanks again for all of the help, Spyro," Elora said for the hundredth time that day. Guilt still tore at her little faun heart, knowing that she was delaying the dragon from a vacation, made only worse by the fact that talismans and orbs were all over the place, keeping Spyro from leaving as quickly as he wanted.

"Elora, for the last time, it's fine," Spyro laughed. "If you say thanks or apologize one more time, I'll change my mind and go home."

"Sorry."

"Elora!"

"Sorry!" Not knowing how to escape the cycle, the fast friends merely laughed it away (mostly at Elora's obvious embarrassment).

After silence returned between them, Elora looked around, trying to figure out what had brought Spyro back to Glimmer's side of Summer Forest in the first place. She got her answer when the young dragon hopped over the brook, pawing at the dewy grass under one of the trees before circling once and laying down. "You alright, Spyro?"

"Yep," the Artisan answered with a yawn and a stretch. He wrapped his legs with his tail and sat his head on his paws, and Sparx quickly settled down between his dragon's horns. "I could get comfy here."

"...You sure you want to sleep outside? You can stay inside of the bridgeway with me and Hunter."

"Nah. This feels more like home. I'm right out here if you guys need me."

She bit back a smile. She was never going to understand dragons. Still, he did look pretty comfortable. "Alright, if you're sure. G'night!"

She made her way back inside the Rainbow Bridge arches (since her and Hunter's usual home of the Summer Castle was occupied by Ripto), passing her cheetah companion, who was perched on one of the several outcrops leading to the Rainbow Waterfall.

"Do you need anything, Spyro?" Hunter cooed, imitating Elora's voice in the most obnoxious way, batting his eyes and making silly kissy faces. "Can I get you something, Spyro? Come sleep inside with us, Spyro! Oh, thanks for everything, Spyro!"

Elora grabbed a rock, skillfully throwing it at the corner of Hunter's head. "Shut up!"

"Oh, come on, Elora," Hunter tsked, rubbing the pain of the injury away before re-curling up on his outcropping. "You've got a thing for the dragon, don't you?"

"I do not! I'm just trying to be NICE to the guy who's helping us save Summer Forest. UNLIKE YOU."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, lover-girl."

Elora scoffed before settling in for bed herself by the waterfall. She wasn't being weird, right? She was just being a good host, right? She and Spyro would never work out, right?

...Though he _was _pretty cute.

* * *

><p><em>Oh, you all knew it was coming. XD Ready to start tackling Summer Forest? Then join us next time, here on <em>Legacy!

_____**_§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §_**_____


	12. Yeti on the Mountain

_I really need to stop being busy on Saturdays and forgetting to update until it's way too late! :D Also, is it just me, or does FFN look prettier than it's looked, like, ever?_

_...Alright, I'm rambling 'cause I have nothing to say. But it is quite pretty. On with the show!  
><em>

**You found a disclaimer!**  
>Spyro the Dragon, both the game and all related characters (c) Insomniac. They own the Spyro that's in this story, so nyeh.<br>Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage / Gateway to Glimmer, as well as all related characters (c) blah-blah, same copyright.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER TWELVE: Yeti on the Mountain<strong>

_"Hurry up, Brother Harry! We need to bring that goat sacrifice to the yeti!"_

_The Colossus monk looked at the young ram in front of him. It was so innocent, so fragile...but it also butted Brother Vincent off the mountain, so it was an easy choice for appeasing the giant yeti torturing the village._

_He closed his eyes and lifted the goat up to his brothers above with the magical chant of Colossus: wie-yie-yie-yom, wie-yie-yie-yom._

_Brother Ned and Brother Andrew carried the wriggling goat sacrifice into the room where the yeti was being held, cringing as it gave a thunderous roar. Just as they made it to the door, Brother Ned panicked._

_"I can't do it, Andrew!" he cried. The roars of the yeti had stolen his nerve._

_Brother Andrew swallowed his fear, grabbing the ram by the horns and leading it into the monster's den. "Then I will do it. Chant for me, my brother."_

_Brother Ned recoiled against the wall, shakingly reciting the ancient words: wie-yie-yie-yom, wie-yie-yie-yom, wie-yie-yie-yom, over and over and over again._

Baa~ah! _The monk then looked up to find, not his brother, but the goat sacrifice. This could not end well._

oo00oo00oo

Spyro descended into the snowy world of Colossus, quickly finding one of the small monk inhabitants pacing about. Remembering Elora's advice to befriend the locals and get the talismans, he approached him. "Excuse me, but is something wrong?"

"Only slightly," the distraught Brother Harry replied. "We've managed to entrap the yeti and keep him from destroying the village, but-"

"Waitwaitwaitwait," Spyro interrupted with a wave of his paw. "Back up. _Yeti?_"

"Indeed," Brother Harry sighed. "Ripto brought it here to destroy our temples, all because we told his riptocs that they couldn't participate in our hockey league."

"Great, now he's a sore loser on top of it all." Spyro wasn't sure how he was going to lock horns with a riptoc yeti of all things, but he had to give it the old Artisan try, right? "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I wouldn't know, young dragon, but you're welcome to try. Talk to the other brothers; they'll guide you through all of our locks and doors to reach the yeti." He gave a tiny bow, which Spyro struggled to return. "And thank you for your help, young dragon! If you can eliminate the yeti, we'd be very much in gratitude!"

oo00oo00oo

Spyro got the sinking feeling that Avalar was going to be a repeat of the Dream Weavers oddities all over again. The Colossus monks controlled everything with some strange chant, and the area was filled with hyper rams and giant yaks that the locals swore weren't deadly, just "agitated by the presence of the yeti". There were also spring traps everywhere - the second you stepped through one, it launched you several-hundred feet in the air. Sparx got a laugh when one caught Spyro unaware, but the dragon failed to see the humor as he tumbled back down to the ground.

Through all of the Colossus "magic", Spyro fought past the yaks and rams to find a jittery brother outside of a building that seemed to shake and growl with every step Spyro took. "I take it this is where you guys hid the yeti?"

Brother Ned nodded. "Please, young dragon, help us defeat this monster! I-I know I'm a vegetarian and probably shouldn't be saying this, but...go in there and torch that thing! Just...be careful. I-I mean, he's pretty tough, and I don't know if you can-"

Spyro interrupted the warnings with a puff of hot smoke. "Watch me," he challenged.

The Artisan took a deep breath, then rushed into the room. He briefly spied another monk cowering in the corner, but before long, his attention was properly placed onto the yeti. The towering creature nearly smashed through the ceiling of the expansive room, growling and swiping at everything within arm's reach.

Upon seeing Spyro, the yeti snarled, jumping up and down to shake the room and attempt to scare the dragon out. The mountainside quivered, cracking and rumbling, as if threatening to collapse under the yeti's menacing stature, but Spyro held his ground.

_CRA-__**BANG! **_Actually, it wasn't the mountainside crumbling. It was the statue the brothers left on the roof, which dropped down into the room, crushing the yeti under its even mightier weight, blowing out the windows and filling the room with a cloud of snowy dust.

Spyro fought back the urge to throw a fit, suddenly reminded of a not-so-climatic battle against a mask in a wonderland volcano. _Aim high in life, but watch out for flying boxes._

Brother Ned, on the other hand, wasn't sure if he was feeling amazement, relief, or just confusion. "Huh. Guess that yeti wasn't so tough after all. I guess his bark was worse than his bite! Haha!"

Spyro and Sparx gave matching groans. This was going to be a _LONG _adventure.

oo00oo00oo

Spyro's exploration of Colossus was far from over, though. Upon hearing that the elusive Professor - whom Spyro hadn't seen apart from a passing glance in Glimmer - was in the area, the Artisan bounded up to the mountaintops where the monk brotherhood had spotted him. The Professor often visited Colossus for his studies, and thus, had his own library in the highest-most room of the city. (Though Spyro was slightly baffled by the idea that they'd give the highest room in the village to a _mole._)

When he peeked inside, though, the room was surprisingly dark, and a chill shook down Spyro's spines as he cautiously stepped inside. "Uhm...Professor?"

There was a sharp cackle that froze dragon and his dragonfly in place. It was far too high-pitched to be the Professor...and far too wicked to be friendly. Spyro shook slightly as the room slowly flooded with a dark smog, turning the already-chilly Colossus air to ice. The Artisan coughed, willing his lungs to force a breath of fire and warm the air, but they refused - the chilling darkness had shut them down.

Spyro swiped at the darkness, and in rebuttal, a face burst through the darkness, sending the dragon stumbling backwards in shock. _So, this is the dragon! The stolen egg, the hero of the mighty dragon legends! _The specter cackled, driving Spyro further and further back, taunting him as it dipped back and forth and dragged the dragon's eyes along with it. _This one doesn't look so tough!_

Spyro scrounged for his flames, but could only cough up icy smoke as he was forced back further and further by the evil specter. _Not so tough without your fire, are we, dragon? How do you expect to save the world if you can't even stop me? _The spirit forced Spyro back until the dragon was trapped, feeling air under his back paws when he took another step. _Turn around and go home, dragon! You don't belong here! You can't do it!_

_Go home, dragon!_

_YOU CAN'T DO IT!_

"Shut up!" Finally getting a clear breath, Spyro leaned back and blasted the dark spirit in its spectral face with a burst of flame. The spirit gave a weak cry of pain, then spun out of control, disappearing into the Colossus skies.

The darkness finally faded, returning the dragon to the mountaintops of the monk village, allowing him to step away from the edge of the outcropping he was about to fall from and re-enter the study.

"Spyro! My boy, that was incredible!" the Professor gawked, excitedly readjusting his glasses. "Thank goodness you scared that evil spirit away!"

"What WAS that thing, anyway?" Spyro had to ask.

"I wish I could say for sure. I can only guess that it's Ripto's handiwork. The monks say that it's a troublemaker and can drive even their most focused scholars of the _wie-yie-yie-yom _to madness!" The old mole smiled. "Quite impressive that you managed to best it."

Spyro looked back out to the door, up where the evil spirit had disappeared. For some reason, the spirit seemed..._darker, _like it couldn't have just been Ripto. Did he really best it? Or did he just get lucky?

"Yeah...impressive."

oo00oo00oo

Noticing that Spyro seemed a bit distressed, the monk brotherhood pointed their dragon guest to the most relaxing activity of the Colossus monks: the ice rinks behind the yeti chambers.

Spyro took a few long, deep breaths of the crisp Colossus air, gliding across the glistening rinks. He had been skating in the Ice Caverns since he was a pup - water was a big adversary, but ice was an old friend. It was just the calm he needed: a time to step away from the chaos and just float across a small sea of frozen wonderland.

But Spyro was a mixed dragon. His Artisan mind enjoyed the occasional moment of calm, but his Peacekeeper blood demanded challenge and adventure. Like the hockey puck and goalie he found waiting in the rink above.

Brother Kipp watched as Spyro skillfully circled the rink, sneaking shot after shot past their scorekeeper, who was one of the best in the Colossus Leagues. "Well done, Spyro! You are surprisingly nimble on the ice for a dragon!"

The Artisan skated to the rink's edge, not sure if that was a compliment to his agility or an insult to dragons. "Uhm...thanks?"

Brother Kipp sighed. "I would invite you to play in the Colossus Leagues, but Ripto's riptocs are still causing problems and delaying the matches!"

There were several red flags in that sentence: Ripto, riptocs, problems. But Spyro only heard one word - _challenge. _"Hey, if Ripto's gnorcs need someone to play with, I'll volunteer! I can fit in a quick butt-kicking before lunch."

"Oh, is THAT so?"

Spyro and Kipp looked up, finding a large gray riptoc dressed in a red uniform as he and his goalie hopped from the locker rooms. The riptoc slammed his stick against the ice. "Come on, then, dragon-boy! Let's dance!"

_"Alright, let's see a clean match! First to five goals wins! LET'S GO!"_

With Kipp's watchful eyes as the referee, the whistle blew and the game was on. Spyro was first to the puck, but quickly lost hold of it as he took a hockey stick to the side. The riptoc gave a heavy laugh as he slid away with the puck, smashing it towards the blue goal.

Spyro's goalie, who was the Colossian he was practicing with earlier, easily deflected the straight-on shot, bouncing it back towards Spyro, who grabbed the puck and slid it past the red goalie. "Blue point!"

The riptoc gave a growl, making sure to race as hard as he could and beat his dragon opponent to the puck. Spyro, however, slid in front of him, snatching the puck in his teeth and sending it past his goalie yet again. "Blue point!"

On the third serve, the riptoc ignored the puck completely, instead shoving Spyro aside with another harsh hockey-stick to the side. What he underestimated, though, was Spyro's speed. The young dragon quickly caught up to the cumbersome riptoc, spinning a few circles around to disorient him before stealing the puck and slipping it past the goalie once again. "Blue point!"

"Dragon, start playing fair!" the riptoc snarled, rushing to attack his opponent again.

In retaliation, Spyro spat hot air at the riptoc, causing him to slip on his skates and fall over. "How's that for playing fair?" he sneered, skating over and grabbing the puck without any difficulty. "Blue point!"

The riptoc gave a low growl. "Alright, time to stop playing around!" Putting on his serious face, the riptoc glided after the puck when the final serve hit the ice. He continued to glance left and right, left and right, left and right - no sign of the dragon.

And as he finally looked down to swing the puck, no sign of that, either. "Hey, buddy, try watching the puck next time!"

Kipp blew the whistle as loud as it would ring. "BLUE POINT! That's game!"

Spyro couldn't help but laugh as the disheartened riptoc sulked back into the locker room. The only thing better than winning was beating a sore loser.

Brother Kipp waved over the victorious dragon once he exited the rink. "You know, Spyro, I didn't want to say this while the riptocs were around, but..." The monk pulled out a glimmering green gem - one of the mysterious orbs of Avalar. "This is one of our top prizes in the Colossus Leagues. I shouldn't give it away, but...I think it'll be better off with you."

"Thanks!"

"Not a problem! And you know, they say if you stare into these orbs long enough...you might not actually see anything!"

"...Thanks?"

oo00oo00oo

"Spyro, wait!" Right before the dragon passed through the portal to return to Summer Forest, he was approached by Brother Ned, clumsily running towards him with a gold statuette - a smaller version of the ones scattered across Colossus.

After catching his breath, Ned explained, "I was put in charge of guarding the Gold Statue to make sure the yeti didn't eat it. Now that the yeti's gone, I think it'll be safe. The brothers and I have decided that our talisman would be better off in your hands. May it bring you good luck on your journey."

Spyro smiled, giving a small bow as Sparx returned the talisman to the guidebook. "Thanks, Brother Ned."

"Nonono, Spyro." Brother Ned gave a clumsy salute, not unlike the ones traditionally used by the Peacekeeper dragons. "Thank you."

oo00oo00oo

_"Hmm..." Brother Ned and Brother Curtis stared long and hard at the statue now occupying their meditation room turned yeti prison. It did a fantastic job of crushing the yeti, but now it was in the way and needed to return to the rooftop._

_"Don't worry, my brother!" Curtis assured from his spot atop the statue. "I've mastered this!" Returning to the sacred chant, the _wie-yie-yie-yom, _Curtis focused his magical monk energies and lifted the statue._

_...Where it hovered for a few seconds before dropping back down. "What in the name of the hockey league was that?" Brother Ned tsked._

_Brother Curtis frowned. "The dragon thought my trick was impressive."_

_"Well, the dragon isn't here! Please put this statue back on the roof!"_

_"If you don't like my chanting, you do it!"_

_"Fine!" Forcing the powers that be, Brother Ned chanted as hard as his monk heart could handle, absorbing the pure power of the _wie-yie-yie-yom. _The statue gave a shudder, then another..._

BAM! _It shot to the ceiling, smashing Brother Curtis in the process. Brother Ned looked about nervously, then exited before any of the other monks saw. This day was getting worse and worse._

* * *

><p><em>I have an irrational love for this level. XD I could probably just kind of hang out in Colossus, like, all day. Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed! See you next week! :)<em>

______**_§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §_**______


	13. Idol Worship

_Happy Easter, everyone! (Is it weird that the Idol Springs chapter is going up on Easter weekend? Hmm.) Anyway, let's get on with the show! :)  
><em>

**You found a disclaimer!**  
>Spyro the Dragon, both the game and all related characters (c) Insomniac. They own the Spyro that's in this story, so nyeh.<br>Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage / Gateway to Glimmer, as well as all related characters (c) blah-blah, same copyright.

**WARNING: **This chapter contains game-spoilers! If you still haven't 100%-ed _Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage_, read on with caution!

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Idol Worship<strong>

_Mikhail couldn't help but pause in his woodworking to admire the beauty of his sculpture. The idols weren't particularly attractive beings, but he had truly outdone himself today. Every line, every cut, everything about the idol screamed 'perfection'. The sculpture lived, it breathed, it could spring to life at any moment._

_And right as it stretched above him and gave a low, rumbling growl, he realized that it did. "AAAAAAAAAH!"_

_Dmitri watched as his co-sculptor was chased about the Springs by the idol he had just finished carving. Instead of showing immediate concern, his brain hatched an idea. Turning to the stack of wood he had yet to touch, Dmitri went to work. Within minutes, the hammer and chisel in his masterful hands turned the pile of wood into a sultry hula-girl. Shaking with excitement, the builder leaned in and gave his wooden idol a kiss._

_It immediately fell over. So much for that plan._

oo00oo00oo

The second Spyro touched down in the world of the Idol Springs, it was obvious to see what the problem was: the world's inhabitants were being chased by giant wooden statues brandishing steel spikes with flaming marshmallows.

"Why can't we be put in charge of saving a world that's _normal _for once?" Sparx groaned.

"'Cause that'd be easy," Spyro laughed, approaching one of the locals NOT being chased by giant idols with flaming desserts. "Are you guys having problems, or is this just a party at the springs?"

"Very funny, dragon," the head boss, Mr. Foreman Bob, spat. "But we've got a major problem on our hands! Our famous idols have come to life, and now they're attacking us! They've locked us all out of our homes AND stolen all our food!"

Spyro bit back the urge to laugh at how completely silly the scenario was. "Look, you're tryin' ta stop Ripto 'n save Avalar, right?" Foreman Bob sighed. "Help us get rid of these idols, and we'll make it worth yer while!"

oo00oo00oo

As Spyro would find, though, saving Idol Springs wouldn't be as simple as bashing statues and torching idols.

"What do you MEAN, they have your tools?!"

Yes, the young Artisan was now put in a sticky situation. To move through the Idol Springs, the workers needed their tools. However, the tools were locked in a box at the bottom of the Springs. "And it'll only open if you complete three puzzles set up by the idols!" Typical.

So here the young dragon was, perched on top of the locked toolbox and watching the puzzle before him. The first was a light-box challenge. Eight boxes sat on the floor - four of them lit, four of them not. If all eight were lit, the first of the three locks would spring open.

Spyro sighed. Thinking hurt; he tried to avoid it at all costs. His go-to strategy of just hitting everything until it worked failed him here, as he just ended up in a winding circle of block after block after block, never getting any closer to the goal. There was a pattern, and Spyro couldn't crack it. If you lit one block, two would go out. If you put one out, two would light up.

It brought the young dragon back to his earliest days of dragon training with Delbin, right after the first time he had snuck away to the Peacekeepers in search of adventure. Most dragonlets didn't begin basic training until after their first dragon-age, which was roughly the age Spyro was at now. (Though in hindsight, it was a good thing he started early.) Delbin had hoped to curve Spyro's appetite for adventure by balancing fun training with not-so-fun training - the Peacekeeper spirit with the Artisan mind.

One of the exercises Nestor had concocted was a light puzzle similar to this. The fence held in the fodder he desperately needed to chase, but the lights and patterns were the same. "Clear your mind, Spyro. Stay focused. Analyze the situation. Be thoughtful, be patient. Take challenges one step at a time."

When he was younger, Nestor's wise words went unnoticed. Spyro eventually found a way to shatter the light-boxes and free the sheep. Here, this wasn't an option, so the advice would finally be put to work. He hopped off his perch and began pressing buttons again - this time slowly, methodically, watching how the lights interacted.

_DING! _Finally, the lights all went on. The dragon shook his head; every time he attempted to reject the Artisans, they came right back in.

Puzzle two moved them out of the light-box chamber and up to the lake, where the overshadowing idol head demanded fish. Luckily, there was an entire pond of them, all taking their turns to jump into the air. With the right angle, Spyro could shoot enough hot air at the offerings, knocking them out of their path and into the idol's gaping mouth. In they went, one after another after another. Orange fish, orange fish, blue fish, orange fish.

Red fish. _BLEH!_

Spyro gave a growl as he watched all of those fish spill back into the ocean. On top of all of this, the idol had to be picky.

When the insatiable idol finally had his fill of every non-red fish in the Springs, they moved onto puzzle three. "I tried REALLY hard to help you out with this one, Spyro!" Foreman Bud exclaimed. "But I've only figured out the first step. Maybe that helps?"

Spyro hopped up on the nearby steps to get a good glimpse at the colorful tiles in front of him. Foreman Bud pressed down on the first of them, the star on the blue square. So the Artisan carefully glanced over the remaining tiles, putting his scholarly training (or the little of it he paid attention to) to work.

The reasonable approach would be to find another star piece on a blue square, right? But none of those existed. Maybe another star? He moved towards the only other star, a green one sitting on a heptagon. _Cling! _Now he was out of stars...perhaps he could move to another heptagon? The only other one was an orange tile, housing a rhombus. _Cling! _Okay, out of heptagons and out of ideas. It couldn't just be the shapes, right? They were colored for a reason. So Spyro moved to the remaining orange tile, an orange moon on a star tile. _Cling! _Well, that naturally pointed to the other moon piece, the white triangle tile.

Spyro couldn't hold back a smile as he jumped on the final tile, the blue triangle with the raised circle. The mighty Peacekeeper was better at puzzles than he thought - who knew?

Foreman Bud couldn't wait to dig back into the tool box, which had sprung open when they returned to the light-box chamber. "Wow, thanks, Spyro! You're pretty smart for a dragon!" (Spyro made a note to burn all of Avalar's dragon books; something wasn't quite right about the Avalari myths of dragons.)

The foreman paused in his digging, though, when he pulled out a green globe instead of a woodcarving tool. "Hey, Spyro! I dunno what this shiny thing is - you want it?"

Spyro bit back a frustrated sigh as he turned to exit the chamber, newly-earned orb in hand (...or guidebook, as it were.) However, Foreman Bud couldn't let him go _just _yet: "Hey, Spyro! If you got time...you mind helping us get something else back from the idols?"

oo00oo00oo

"AND they have your women?!"

The young Artisan was beyond frustrated with the incompetence of the Idol Springs builders. Not only had the barely-armed idols stolen their tools, they had also taken all of the builder girls hostage, forcing them to dance upon giant platforms for one of their leaders, a tubby purple idol that couldn't be bothered to do much else but watch his pretty damsels.

So it was hero-time once again. Spyro snuck down into the valley where the girls were being held as quietly as he could, making his way into the center, where one hula girl was chained to a rock. "Hey, what's going on over here?" he asked the captive as quietly as he could manage, trying not to attract the attention of the head idol.

"Oh, dragon, thank goodness you're here!" the hula girl (who later introduced herself as Stella) fawned. "The idols have trapped all of the girls on those pedestals!"

"How do I get them down?"

Stella strained to move from her chains, making a weak gesture towards the outcropping stairs. "There...should be a supercharge over there somewhere. If you can use that and smash all of the pedestals-"

Spyro didn't need to hear the rest. "Wait...did you say..._supercharge?_"

It wasn't necessarily the elaborate tracks of the High Caves, but Spyro did find...what he _assumed _to be the hula girl supercharge by the outcroppings. It more resembled a portal than a supercharge, but Spyro could recognize the magic from the burst of wind funneling through the two posts.

In his drive to master the speedways, Spyro had long-since abandoned the supercharges of the Magic Crafters. However, once he dove through the posts, the feeling was undeniable; it was a supercharge. The rush of untouchable speed coursed through his legs, just as it did so long ago in the High Caves and the Tree Tops, and with his head down, Spyro smashed through the pedestals like they were gem baskets. He cleared out all 6 statues, then ended his charge by bashing into the rock that held Stella prisoner.

Once the girls were free, they all rushed for the center. The tubby idol finally recognized the danger, but was helpless to do anything. The girls formed a tight circle around their captor, then began to sing and dance, swaying their hips and spinning in perfect harmony.

For a moment, the idol let down his guard, going back to watching the girls with dreamy eyes. It was the perfect distraction to keep him from seeing the stormcloud forming overhead. With a violent _CRACK!, _lightning struck from the girls' rain dance, smashing the idol into pieces.

"Wow, that was awesome!" Spyro laughed, helping Stella out of the rubble of her ex-prison. "You girls busted that idol like a roman candle!"

"Of course we did," Stella said with a scoff. "We're a little bit more capable than those boys out there."

Well, she had a point.

oo00oo00oo

"Wow, Spyro! That was amazin'!"

Spyro tried to brush off Foreman Max's flattery. It wasn't exactly difficult to fight off wooden statues with flaming hot dogs for weapons. Even ignoring the fact that he was, well, a fire-breath. "It was no big deal. Just another day in the life of a hero."

"Well, if you ever need a job, we'll make room for ya here in the Springs!" For some reason, Spyro didn't feel he'd need to come back for that offer.

Foreman Max reached into the pocket of his apron, pulling out a jade idol. "'Til then, me and the guys decided that we want you to have this. You c'n probably use it a lot better than we can."

"Your talisman?"

"Yeah, we usually just let the thing sit 'n collect dust anyway. It's the least we could do fer all your hard work."

"Well, I'll take it off your hands, then! Thanks!"

oo00oo00oo

_With their food and tools returned, the foremen decided to celebrate with a hot dog and marshmallow roast by the waterfall._

_"Man, am I glad that mess is over with!" Foreman Bob laughed._

_"Jeez, you could say that again!" Foreman Max scoffed, taking a bite of his hot dog._

_Suddenly, the foremen froze as the water near then began to ripple and splash. Out from the depths, another idol rose up. This one bigger, darker, and scarier than all of the rest. The foremen froze in fear as the new attacker approached them, slow and creaky step by step. It gave a low, throaty growl as it approached..._

_Then pulled out its own hot dog and began to roast it over the fire._

_The foremen looked at each other, then shrugged. Hey, at least they were bringing their own food this time!_

* * *

><p><em>Oh, Idol Springs builders, you're so completely useless. XD Two talismans down, twelve to go! Join us next time, right here on <em>Legacy_!_

______**_§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §_**______


	14. High Voltage

_Hey, guys! Welcome back! :) Are we ready for a light-hearted, cheery chapter about fun, love, and tolerance? [cheers] TOO BAD GOIN' TO HURRICOS LET'S GO_

**You found a disclaimer!**  
>Spyro the Dragon, both the game and all related characters (c) Insomniac. They own the Spyro that's in this story, so nyeh.<br>Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage / Gateway to Glimmer, as well as all related characters (c) blah-blah, same copyright.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER FOURTEEN: High Voltage <strong>

_"Oh, goodness me! Goodness me! Goodness me!"_

_Zapp sprinted through the valleys of Hurricos as fast as his spindly legs would carry him, desperate to keep the diode away from those obnoxious grinder-monkeys. He cringed as he heard the purple beast's bellowing laugh, felt its massive arms pound away at the land behind him._

_One of the Gear Grinders could hear the chase scene approaching his surveillance area. Looking between his wrench and the switch that activated the force-field, a dull idea bubbled forth in his mind. Right as Zapp sped towards him, the grinder jammed his wrench into the switch, flipping the force-field on just in time to capture the young electroll._

_Zapp had built up far too much momentum. He crashed into the electric fence before even registering that it was there, knocking the young electroll unconscious and sending the diode flying. It was quickly caught by the grinder-monkey, who gave an excited giggle before running off._

_The Gear Grinder laughed. Hah, shiny things._

oo00oo00oo

Spyro hated the rain. So you could imagine the dragon's _delight _when their flight into Hurricos immediately greeted them with stormy clouds and a downpour of rain. "Man, I thought we were doing this to get OUT of the rain," Sparx buzzed.

Spyro tried to ignore the rain, as something else attracted his attention: a little blue electroll scurrying to escape a burly, leather-decored Gear Grinder. "Hey, are you alright, little guy?"

Zapp paused to examine the crack in his glasses. "No worse than usual, I suppose."

"Are those Ripto's bullies?"

"Oh, no, not at all!" Zapp dissented. "Ripto doesn't like it here - says it's too noisy and too wet. Those Gear Grinders have always given us trouble. It's just that they've built these new force fields all over the place, keeping us from getting around."

Spyro gave a small huff of smoke. Not being riptocs didn't spare these Gear Grinders in the slightest. With Ripto messing up every other corner of Summer Forest, the last thing they needed was a war between the locals. "Well, if you tell me how to get rid of those fields, I'd be happy to wreck them for you."

"You'll find little bulbs lying around with the Gear Grinders," Zapp explained. "Those are diodes - you can use them to shut down the force fields and move through Hurricos." The electroll mildly adjusted his glasses. "I'd, uh...love to help you, stranger, but...well, those Gear Grinders kind of broke my glasses..."

oo00oo00oo

Ignoring the rain, Hurricos wasn't a terrible place. Just filled with terrible locals.

The Gear Grinders were obnoxious; Spyro couldn't help but wonder how a species so content with just beating everything with their wrenches could build up such impressive force fields. Alarms and gears were constantly active, filling the pastures with ear-wrenching noise. Factories and robots littered the otherwise-grassy plains of Hurricos, turning the electrolls' home into a mechanical mess.

It reminded Spyro far too much of the Beast Maker swamps, back when Gnasty's gnorcs had turned the entire place into an electric junkyard. Hurricos had the same wet air mixed with smoggy machinery, (and as he found when Amper asked for his help maintaining the lightning-ball towers, the same giant, annoying monkeys).

Metal, machinery, gears...it was all above Spyro's head. The only thing he knew about any of it was that he couldn't burn through metal, but so long as he had his horns, that would never be a problem.

One thing that WOULD, though, was the last similarity between the Hurricos Gear Grinders and Gnasty Gnorc. It came to him in a factory, where he promised the electrolls he would cut off the Gear Grinder power supply.

Kosmo and Watt had asked him to glide to the factories and shut them down to prevent the Gear Grinders from abusing them any further. For the most part, it wasn't difficult to reach. Over a few fans, across a few gaps - no great challenge for one of the best young gliders in the Artisan lands.

The thing that sat between him and Spike was a final stretch of metal. One final wall, one simple glide. Except that the path was made up of moving platforms.

Spyro took his time approaching the final challenge, trying to ignore the clanky groans of the platforms as they slid in and out of their wall-projector. Despite the chilling rains of Hurricos surrounding him, the Artisan found his face getting hot, almost able to visualize the bubbling lava of Gnasty's factories filling the cloudy abyss below.

_Come on, Spyro, it's just over there. Don't chicken out now. _With a re-energizing breath, the Artisan kicked off of his safe platform, landing on the metal outcrop with little difficulty.

_CLANK! _As he moved to jump again, a wall shot forth, immediately stopping his progress. Spyro looked about in a sudden panic, ready to leap from the shrinking plaform under his paws. Gnasty Gnorc's snorty laugh rang through the storm, taunting the 'widdle baby dwagon', challenging him to cross such a treacherous chasm. Spyro stumbled as the platform nearly escaped him, forced onto his right legs as the left ones pedaled across air.

_CLANK! _The wall moved, snapping the Artisan back to Hurricos, allowing him to jump from the fallen metal outcrop to safety. _Not this time, Gnasty._

But the trial was only half-over, as Spyro was quick to notice when he approached the shivering electroll and heard the roar of something far too loud to be thunder and lightning from the adjacent room. "That's the room where the main power switch lies!" Spike explained, shouting to be heard over the buzz. "But it's REALLY noisy in there! The sound reverberations shattered my glasses, and now I can't find my way around! Can you get in there and shut it down for us?"

Spyro gave a nod, then turned and stepped inside the factory, shuddering as he was greeted with the world's most unpleasant sound:

_Zap. Zap. Zap. Zap._

Static ran rampant in the air, making the generator room hot and unwelcoming. The Artisan fought to shield his eyes from the blinding blue light that bounced from all of the metal surfaces. Tubes filled with surging electricity were everywhere you looked, vacuuming energy to all of the other Gear Grinder factories across Hurricos.

Spyro stumbled to find the deactivation switch. The large, red button stuck out amongst the blue glow of the room, but as he reached out to push it, a lightning-tube went active right next to him, filling the room with a deafening _ZAAAAP! _Spyro cringed as he felt the surge under his scales, flashing back to the metal floors of Terrace Village. He could feel the char burning into his flesh, feel his muscles locking up from the shock, hear the gross laughter of the metalhead gnorcs as they prodded him again and again with their shock-sticks...

"SPYRO!"

Snapping back to reality, the dragon found himself face-to-face with the big, red button, which he was quick to press. Within minutes, the factory grinded to a silent halt, sending the room into a cool, pleasant darkness.

Sparx gave a concerned look to his partner. "You alright, Spy? I thought I lost you for a second there."

Spyro, on the other hand, couldn't tear his eyes away from the lightning-tube, despite the fact it was now powerless. When Claude warned that electricity stung, he certainly wasn't kidding around.

oo00oo00oo

With the machines shut down and the force-fields deactivated, Brainy asked Spyro for one more favor before he left Hurricos. "We can't thank you enough, Spyro! Hurricos is ours once again!"

"Really, it was nothing," Spyro lied, hoping his forced smile would quicken this 'last favor'. Brainy had asked to meet him in the depths of one of the mecha-mazes, and just the sight and sound of being boxed in by metal was making the dragon anxious. Not only did the electricity have him on edge, but the darkness of the Gear Grinder factories was far too similar to another metal maze he was forced to manipulate. Spyro couldn't help but twitch at every creak and clank, ready to run if the floor began to retract.

Finally, they reached their destination - a small, golden gear. "We've done our best to protect our talisman from the Gear Grinders," Brainy explained, passing the Gear of Power to their heroes, "but we've come to a consensus that it'll be much safer in your hands. We'd like you to have it as a reward!"

"...Just so long as it doesn't generate electricity."

oo00oo00oo

_With the Gear Grinders put back in their places, the electrolls had plenty of time to retake the area before they could regain their footing. One Gear Grinder in particular seemed extraordinarily upset that his precious shiny things had been taken away from him._

_That's when he saw it. A shiny thing! Unable to hold back his excitement, the Gear Grinder ran forward to recapture the shiny thing._

ZAP! _At the last moment, the shiny thing had been pulled away, and the force-field zapped him backwards. He gave a sad groan. This was the fourth time today that happened._

_The electrolls on the outside, however, couldn't be having more fun. They giggled endlessly at the Gear Grinders' blind stupidity, swinging the diode bait in celebration. Brainy even gave Zapp a hearty slap on the back._

_...Which inevitably broke his glasses again._

* * *

><p><em>Funny how I absolutely HATE Hurricos, but this turned out to be one of my favorite chapters in the whole story. XD Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed! Thanks for reading; see you next time on <em>Legacy!

______**_§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §_**______


	15. Turtle Soup

_Hello, my little dragonlets! Who's ready for a hearty kick to the nostalgia? That's right, we're going all the way back to the demo level, so get your goggles on and let's get on with the show! :)  
><em>

**You found a disclaimer!**  
>Spyro the Dragon, both the game and all related characters (c) Insomniac. They own the Spyro that's in this story, so nyeh.<br>Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage / Gateway to Glimmer, as well as all related characters (c) blah-blah, same copyright.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Turtle Soup <strong>

_Todd gave a little whistle as the waterworks builders continued their orders to box up all of the turtles roaming around the beach. Wrestling the creatures into their cages was difficult, but now that they were trapped in fireproof boxes (though he wasn't sure why Ripto specified the boxes be FIREPROOF on the beach - most of them were being held underwater anyway), the transport job became much easier._

ZAAAP! _"YEOWCH!" Until you back into a shock-stick. "Mike, watch where you're sticking that thing!" he snapped, barely noticing the box that had flown off the platform's edge._

_Mike looked down at his exposed shock-stick, which he had forgotten to turn off. "...Whoops. Sorry, man."_

_Todd then looked down to the ground, where he had dropped the box. He saw coworker Ted lying unconscious in a pile of box debris, releasing a swarm of baby turtles that brayed with excitement _as they scattered loose from their prison_. "Uhm...I think we killed Ted."_

_"Forget Ted! You let the turtles loose!" Jack snapped, activating his shock-stick and running after the baby turtles._

_...And then immediately running back screaming as one of the turtles stole his shock-stick and chased him down with it._

oo00oo00oo

When Spyro heard that one of the six Summer worlds was a place called 'Sunny Beach', he was reasonably excited. (Especially after dealing with the cold rains of Hurricos. Bleh.) Finally, a chance to lay out on the beach and soak up some sun, just like he and Sparx planned to do in the first place.

However, when he landed and found a trio of baby turtles stuck behind a barn door, he realized the vacation would have to wait. Assuming the elder turtle in the cozy chair was in charge, Spyro approached him first. "Y'know, there are probably better ways to babysit your kids than to stick them in a wooden jail."

"The turtle heirs are in here for their own good, Spyro," the elder, Prince Tortiss, sighed. "It's all we can do to keep the royal triplets from being captured by the Water Workers."

"Water Workers?"

"Ripto's sent his men into Sunny Beach and boxed up all of the turtles! He plans on turning the beach into a water park and turning the turtles into soup to feed the guests!"

The water park sounded nice. The turtle soup? Not so much. "Don't worry, your highness - I'll get your turtles to safety, and try to bust out everyone else while I'm at it!"

oo00oo00oo

In his one short dragon age, Spyro had never met a box he couldn't destroy. Ever since the terrible day he realized it impossible to set metal vases on fire, it had been the Artisan's mission to perfect the art of charging and headbashing everything. He had been cracking boxes and vases with his horns since he was old enough to run. It was part of his Peacekeeper temper, the thirst to smash everything that breaks.

So Spyro was highly confounded by the boxes of turtles that scattered Sunny Beach. Since the Water Workers had abandoned their transport mission to deal with the dragon threat, boxes were left about everywhere. But Spyro couldn't manage to break them open and free the turtle captives like he promised.

He tried everything. His horns couldn't crack the siding, and his flames simply bounced off. They were too big to push around, and most of them were trapped in the various pools of water. Normally, the mischievous Artisan didn't have a problem with breaking promises (especially stupid ones to the dragon elders, like "don't go running off" or "don't do something crazy and get yourself killed"), but this one was different: these turtles needed help, and he was going to get it for them.

That's where the Professor came to the rescue.

"So...what does this contraption do?"

"It's a superflame power-up," royal advisor Gromit explained. "It's a new creation of the Professor's that should enhance your flame-breath and give you the ability to shatter those boxes that are locking up our poor baby turtles!"

As usual when receiving important information, Spyro latched onto one word: _superflame. _He was already well-familiar with the supercharges, both in the Dragon Realms and Avalar. Similar to the supercharge he saw in Idol Springs, this power-up was shoddy-looking, with a whirlwind of magic hovering between two rickety poles. However, where the supercharge felt like a blast of wind, this power-up felt hot, like the whirlwind was a small wall of fire. Would the superflame be just as amazing as his beloved supercharges?

Only one way to find out, right?

Spyro took a deep breath and rushed through the makeshift gate, immediately sliding to a stop once he passed. Every scale on his body suddenly felt like it was red-hot, and the Artisan choked as his lungs filled with a burning smoke. He quavered slightly as the sudden rush of sheer heat dizzied him, and it took him a few minutes to shake his senses back.

Sparx gave a worried buzz, noting how Spyro's violet coat suddenly took on a crimson glow. "Uh...Spyro? You alright?"

Spyro tried to answer, but upon opening his mouth, he coughed yet again. This time, he spit out a massive fireball, one that rocketed across the beach plaza so quickly, it left a bright yellow tail in its wake. The Artisans both cringed as they heard a loud cracking sound across the beach, and looked to find one of the boxes reduced to fiery debris after feeling the wrath of the superflame. All of the baby turtles, although a bit shaken, all gave weak nods and coos to thank Spyro for freeing them.

Yeah, that would work just fine.

oo00oo00oo

Master Chef gave a mighty yawn as he stretched his tiring back. Ripto had demanded quite a spectacle for the Sunny Beach water park opening dinner, and anyone could tell you that you'd better do your best not to upset Ripto if you could avoid it.

The main course? _Le piece de resistance? _Turtle soup.

Master Chef bashed his triangle with his trusty spoon. "COME ON, LITTLE TURTLES! TIME TO COME OUT!"

He laughed as the baby turtles began their slow walk towards his boiling water pot. These Sunny Beach turtles were so stupid; all he had to do was ring the bell, and they'd come out for food! _Splash. _They'd just jump into the pot, expecting to find a fresh-cooked meal, then get scorched by the boiling hot water. _Splash. _Of course, this was the easy part - after this came digging them out of the pot, (_splash_), throwing out the shells and claws, (_splash_), tenderizing the meat (_splash_), seasoning the broth (_splash_)...

The old chef looked up when he heard the coo of one of his baby turtles. "HEY! You be quiet over there, you stinkin'-"

_Splash. _It took him a few moments to realize that all of his baby turtles were not actually in the pot, but swimming to safety through the delivery tubes. "HEY!" With a snarl, the chef smashed his triangle once again. "GET BACK HERE, YOU TURTLES!"

He gave a tired growl. How hard was this? He rings the bell, they jump in the pot. _Splash. _Not a difficult concept, right? The pot's right there. _Splash. _It's not like there's this bodyguard standing by the pot and-

_Thunk! SPLASH! _When Master Chef looked up again, he found yet another shipment of perfectly good turtles in the pool. Alongside them, though, he spied a scaly purple tail poking out from behind the pot. "HEY, YOU! LEAVE MY TURTLES ALONE!"

Hearing that they had been caught, Spyro burst into a mad dash, flying straight past the chef before diving to safety in the pools below. "Sorry, old man, but your turtles are gone! Tell Ripto he'll need a new menu!"

oo00oo00oo

With a flock of baby turtles freed, the Water Workers defeated, and three "sacred thingamajigs" in hand, Sunny Beach was on the path to recovery, which left Spyro free to take care of his last to-do - returning the royal triplets to King Fromit inside Sunny Palace.

"Oh, I'm so glad to see you three home and safe!" the old king cooed, watching his beloved children play and laugh as they were re-welcomed to their home.

"It's not just them, Your Majesty," Spyro pointed out. "ALL of the baby turtles are safe now. Hopefully, those Water Workers'll think twice before they mess with the beach again!"

"Young dragon, I don't know how we can possibly thank you enough." King Fromit reached back and returned with a large golden medallion, emblazoned with the royal turtle insignia. "The most we could do is offer you our talisman. Please, take it and continue doing good things throughout Avalar. And of course, you will always be welcome to our beaches!"

"The talisman's enough for me, thanks." Spyro loved sunny weather, but there was only one beach on his mind: Dragon Shores.

oo00oo00oo

_With their homeland free from Ripto's threat, the royal triplets went back to doing what they do best - playing in their private oasis! The laughs and screams of baby turtles filled the royal playground...especially since they had a new toy._

_The shovel ducks that once worked for the Water Workers were mostly wiped out, but the rambunctious kids discovered one still wandering around. Flotsie was next in line for the new ride, so he hopped onto the shovel duck's infamous weapon._

ZAAAAP! _Jetsie shoved the spare shock-stick they found (one of the other turtles had it) into their new plaything, and the shock to its system forced it to jerk his shovel, sending little Flotsie flying into the pool._

_Yep; just another beautiful sunny day in Sunny Beach._

* * *

><p><em>SAVE THE TURTLES! Oh, and uh, join us next time! Thanks for reading, guys; hope you enjoyed! :)<br>_

_______**_§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §_**_______


	16. The Hidden Towers

_Hello, my little dragonlets! Man, has this been a wild ride or what? This chapter's not only gonna put Legacy over the 40K word-count, but it'll put the story over 400 views across 160 readers. HUGE MILESTONES, MAN. EXCITED.  
><em>

_...Eh, you guys don't care, you just wanna get to the story. XD Alright, ON WITH THE SHOW!_

**You found a disclaimer!**  
>Spyro the Dragon, both the game and all related characters (c) Insomniac. They own the Spyro that's in this story, so nyeh.<br>Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage / Gateway to Glimmer, as well as all related characters (c) blah-blah, same copyright.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER SIXTEEN: The Hidden Towers <strong>

Moneybags gave a dark chuckle. This time, the dragon treasure was sure to be his! Spyro would need all six talismans to break into the lower corridors of Summer Castle and face Ripto, but to get the sixth of the Summer talismans, he would need access to Aquaria Towers...which was now safely hidden behind his newest wall. It stood several feet high, and was made of the finest Glimmer marble. Not even a dragon's horns and flames could break through it! Spyro would have no choice but to pay him to put it down!

The bear put on his poker face as he heard Spyro rounding the corner. "Hey, Moneybags!" the dragon greeted, sliding to a halt. "What's up?"

"Oh, Spyro, it's just terrible!" Moneybags sighed. "Ripto heard all about your plan to collect the talismans, and now he's trying to stop you!"

"...He wasn't already?"

"The last of the Summer worlds is back behind this wall!" Moneybags continued. "Ripto put it up to make sure you couldn't get their talisman!"

"Wow, that's a problem."

"I know, I know - tragic. But...I know a thing or two about castle construction, and I _think _I could put this wall down. It wouldn't be cheap, though. I know collecting the talismans is important for you, Spyro, but, well, I have two boys at home and can't just throw money at saving the world, you know! If you were to pass me, say, four-hundred of the dragon gems, though..."

The bear looked down, only to find that Spyro was nowhere to be found. "Thanks, Moneybags, but I can handle this myself!" He looked up and found the young Artisan in the upper corridors, where he jumped through the arches and gracefully glided over his beautiful wall.

Moneybags grumbled as he kicked the lever to drop the wall. Apparently, the Idol Springs builders needed a bit more clarification as to what "dragon-proof" entailed.

oo00oo00oo

Spyro had given up long ago on trying to guess what he would find in the worlds of Avalar. But with a name like Aquaria Towers, it didn't seem unreasonable to think that there would be _SOME _water. But no - Aquaria Towers was high and dry.

Not that Spyro minded...until he came across a local, a young seahorse who was being pestered by a Water Worker. The riptoc had a glass of water in his hand, tauntingly waving it in front of the fallen local, who could barely muster the energy to move. Even from a distance, you could see the pain in the seahorse's eyes, begging for even a drop of the water.

So the Water Worker naturally dumped it and walked away. He made it all of three steps before meeting Spyro's horns.

Afterwards, the Artisan went to the aid of the fallen seahorse, Ripple. "Gods, are you okay?"

Ripple shook his head, forcing a raspy breath. "Ripto's Water Workers have drained all of our water! Something about a theme park in Sunny Beach... He has riptocs and crabs all over the Towers, making sure nobody disturbs the release switches!" He gave a weak cough. "Not that it matters... Without water, we seahorses can barely move..."

Spyro felt a tug of anxiety in his chest as he realized what Ripple was suggesting. "So...if we pull all of the release switches...it'll flood Aquaria Towers? Like, EVERYTHING will be underwater?"

The seahorse gave a weak nod, and Spyro could suddenly see the first of the release valves, hidden behind a Water Worker watchman. He certainly didn't like the idea of purposefully filling a castle with water, but on the other hand, the seahorses needed him. They needed ANYBODY, really - how long could they last in the dry air?

Good thing he learned how to swim.

oo00oo00oo

Moneybags gave his submarine one last polish, giving a low chuckle as he did. This was it! Spyro had no choice but to pay him this time! He had already learned earlier about Spyro's aversion to the water (quite personally, as the hyperactive dragon headbutted him into Summer Lake for charging five-hundred gems for swimming lessons), so Aquaria Towers was destined to be his ultimate exploit.

Ripto, once again, helped him out. In order to protect the water delivery, the small sorcerer littered giant, mechanical sharks across the area. They were much larger than Spyro, and programmed to devour and shred intruders on sight. The only weakness that he could notice was that they didn't seem incredibly stable...but Spyro would be stricken of flame in the water! He had no way of dealing with them!

That's why he made his newest investment - the SS Moneybags, his own private submarine, decorated just like a shark to make sure that Ripto's mecha-guards wouldn't even give it a second look. If Spyro wanted to reach the upper tiers of Aquaria Towers, he'd have NO choice but to-

_SCHWOOP! _The pompous bear ducked and covered as a wave of heat and explosion shook through his air pocket. "Hit the deck, we're being attacked!"

But he wasn't being attacked. He just barely caught glimpse of a reddish-violet dragon and his little, yellow dragonfly, both diving into the shark tunnels. When Moneybags climbed to the edge, he watched as all of Ripto's sharks were shredded under the heat of a fire blast so hot, it burned like white magma, even through the depths of the Aquarian Ocean. Spyro and Sparx made it through unharmed.

"Darn it! Note to self: buy out the Professor's power-up gates and _ban_ them."

oo00oo00oo

"_Manta, no! Bad Manta!_"

Hunter gave a sharp sigh, which passed through his scuba gear as a staticky mess. Manta ray racing was all the rage in Aquaria Towers, but how was he supposed to take the circuit by storm if he couldn't even make his manta ray listen to him?

Suddenly, Manta shot off the ground, ducking behind his owner for safety. When Hunter looked up, he saw that it had been blasted in the face by a stream of dragon-bubbles. "_Spyro, what are you doing here?_" he tsked.

The dragon merely waved, circling the cheetah and further harassing his manta ray. "_Hey, that's my pet! Get away from him! Don't you have a Ripto to be torching up on dry land?_"

Spyro turned to face Hunter, then spied the pair of orbs laying by his racing gear. The dragon pointed at the glittering jewels, a stern look on his face. "_Oh, those? I, uh...found those in my flippers before I came down!_" Still, Spyro gave him a sour glare. "_I was gonna give 'em to ya later, I swear! What, you think I'm just gonna lose-_"

Suddenly, Hunter stopped, noticing Spyro's unusual silence. He hadn't known the dragon long, but not long was long enough to know that their dragon-guest was a talkative one. "_Why're you bein' so quiet, anyway?_"

"I'd like to see you try talking underwater without that big ol' air-tank on your back," Sparx answered instead, buzzing into Hunter's face (or as close as he could get without popping his bubble). "What're you doing down here, anyway? I thought pussycats were ascared of the water!"

"_I just don't like getting my fur wet, that's all!_" Hunter snapped. "_At least I have scuba gear and don't have to float around in some flimsy bubble!_"

Hunter took a swipe at the dragonfly, thinking that popping the bubble and wetting his wings would show Sparx who was in charge. As he took the swing, though, he was knocked back by a painful blow to the gut - one even worse than a typical faun-kick from Elora.

The cheetah nearly spit out his respirator, and once it was back in place, sat up to find Spyro on top of him, fire burning in his eyes. The dragon couldn't speak, but the message was clear: _do NOT touch my dragonfly. EVER._

In a furious huff (likely because Spyro didn't have access to his flames to give Hunter a torch to the tail), the visiting Artisans grabbed Hunter's orbs and swam off to finish exploring the Aquarian Ocean, leaving the cheetah alone with his manta ray once again.

Hunter groaned, rubbing his aching side as he gingerly returned to his flippers. Out of all of the dragons, why did they get the tiny one with an attitude?

oo00oo00oo

Spyro gave a nervous gulp as he stared up to the top of the lengthy tower. Not only had the Water Workers drained Aquaria Towers of its trademark water, but they had kidnapped six of the royal seahorses, imprisoning the princes and princesses at the tops of six highly-guarded towers.

The first few towers weren't so difficult. Crabs were easy enough to deal with, even without the ability to breathe fire. The later ones became more and more challenging, as they invoked one of Spyro's greatest weaknesses.

_Zap. Zap. Zap. Zap. _

Electricity.

Still aching from his trip through Hurricos, Spyro wasn't sure how to tackle the tower above him. The last of King Flippy's children, Prince Flippy II, was barely visible at the top of the fortress-like tower, crying for help. Spyro had already run into the electric fences on the previous towers (and didn't need Sparx's electric-blue glow making him more nervous), and those were much farther and fewer than this tower.

His Artisan skills went to work as he watched the fence spiral up towards the ceiling. It was a rotating pattern - the fence would start low, then slowly progress up towards the top, stopping just short of the seahorse prince.

Following typical Peacekeeper protocol, Spyro rushed forward, stopping just shy of the electric barrier when it spawned at the bottom of the tower. He gave a shudder as the electricity burned through the surrounding waters, tingling his horns if he didn't duck his head low enough.

When a similar field appeared below him, Artisan instinct took over, and he paddled slow and steady upwards, trying to stay in the small strip of comfortable waters between the sizzling fields. So long as he could maintain pace, he would reach the top without any-

_SNAP! _Spyro let out a fume of bubbles, freezing in place as a jolt shook through his tail just short of the prince. He whipped around to find a crab loose in the towers, eyes alight in a laugh at the dragon's reaction. The Artisan became Peacekeeper once more, and he bashed the crab-creature into oblivion for its crimes.

Unfortunately, the crab did its job. Spyro faltered in his swim slightly, dropping him into the electric fence. He gagged on the water as it rushed into his lungs, legs convulsing and swiping at everything as the shock rushed through his spine. Light blue flashes popped across his vision, and his wings flapped into a frenzied spasm, sending him straight up into the roof of the tower. Combined with the dizzying shock to the system, Spyro felt faint when his head cracked into the glass lights at the top of the prison.

He looked around for Sparx, heaving for breath and struggling to find it in the watery world, but the dragonfly was impossible to see. Darkness overtook his search, and Spyro could feel his muscles turn from spastic and on-edge to dull and unresponsive. He sank lower and lower, ears ringing with the echoed zaps.

_Zap. Zap. Zap. Zap._

oo00oo00oo

"Are you sure he's going to be okay, Sparx?" Elora couldn't help but pace through the grassy knoll outside of the Aquaria portal, eyes jumping back to the still-unconscious dragon every few seconds.

Sparx, slowly building up to a dull green color as he munched on the butterfly Elora had brought him (after a bit of confusion on her part; she still didn't understand how a handful of butterflies were going to help Spyro), gave a buzz. "Just give him a break. Pacing like that isn't going to make him wake up any faster."

Still, the faun was racked with emotion. Worry, panic, nervousness...and most of all, _guilt. _Spyro and Sparx were supposed to be relaxing on the beaches of Dragon Shores. What happened instead? They sent him into Aquaria Towers, where he had to be dragged back by an invisible dragonfly and a seahorse prince, burnt a new shade of purple and shaking like a leaf, not to mention the odd notch that was now bending the tip of his tail.

Eventually, the Artisan came to, giving a weak groan as he stretched his front paws. "Spyro? Are you okay?" she jumped, kneeling by his side.

Spyro winced, coughing to spit up all of the water he had swallowed before shooting a lungful of wet smoke to warm his chest. "Jeez, not so loud, goat-girl..." he groaned.

If it were anybody else, they'd have her hoof in their face, but given the situation, Elora let the goat-comment slide. Spyro gave a stretch, gingerly trying to work out the kink in his tail. "Ow...What happened?"

"You and electricity don't mix, that's what happened," Sparx buzzed, taking a seat between his dragon-brother's horns.

"Prince Flippy II said you blacked out after rescuing him from the Water Worker jail," Elora explained, filling in the blanks. "He and Sparx brought you back here as fast as they could."

Spyro looked around, dimly registering that they were back in Summer Castle. "So...Aquaria Towers is okay?"

"Better than ever! There isn't a Water Worker left!"

The Artisan nodded, tiredly dropping his head into his paws. "Great," he yawned. "I'll go back 'n...ask 'em for the talisman thing later, 'n...then I'll go deal..."

The dragon was asleep before he could even finish his checklist. Elora decided to tell him that King Flippy also sent the Enchanted Shell as thanks for all his hard work later.

"Don't worry, he'll be fine," Sparx buzzed, glow flickering like he was ready for a nap himself. "Once Spyro gets up and I get lunch, we'll go torch Ripto out of Summer Forest for good!"

* * *

><p><em>AW YEA TALISMANS. With all six talismans, will Spyro be able to clear Ripto out of Summer Forest? Will the rivalry between him and Hunter continue? How many more times am I going to get to exploit water and electricity? (Seriously, though, I think we all hate that tower rescue mission.) Find out all this and more, next time on Legacy! <em>

_Thanks again for reading, guys! I'm really glad you guys are enjoying it and keep coming back! :) See you next time!_

_______**_§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §_**_______


	17. Ocean Winds

_GAH. ONE OF THESE DAYS, SATURDAY, I WILL FIGURE YOU OUT. Alright, alright, sorry I missed an update, yaddah-yah, something witty, on with the show.  
><em>

**You found a disclaimer!**  
>Spyro the Dragon, both the game and all related characters (c) Insomniac. They own the Spyro that's in this story, so nyeh.<br>Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage / Gateway to Glimmer, as well as all related characters (c) blah-blah, same copyright.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: Ocean Winds<strong>

Sparx called it. Once Spyro awoke and Sparx had a few more butterflies in his system, the young dragon hero seemed in better shape than ever. Finally, with the six talismans of Summer Forest in hand, it was time to confront Ripto and save the day.

...After one _brief _detour.

"Spyro, what're you doing?" Elora asked, having to turn around and catch Spyro halfway through their walk towards the lower corridors. "Ripto's hiding THIS WAY."

"Yeah, I know." Still, the Artisan's eye was on another prize. It was the last portal in Summer Forest, one he hadn't seen until now. Ocean Speedway. "But, uhm...what's this portal here?"

"It's just a racetrack," Elora tsked. Extreme sports were never her thing, despite Hunter practically living in the speedways. "It's out in the water, there's a lot of wind; a lot of extreme sports junkies go in there to get an adrenaline rush or something. It's really not a big deal, so-"

The faun growled as she saw Spyro and Sparx disappear into the portal. This REALLY wasn't the time for speedway races. "Alright, fine, but hurry back!"

oo00oo00oo

Just as Spyro had hoped when he saw the word 'speedway', the Avalari were just as familiar with flight magic as the Dragon Realms. It was just like the speedways from home - just a brand-new course with brand-new obstacles to tackle. Spyro loved feeling the rush of wind under his wings again; if the adventure-hungry dragon could ever be homesick for anything, it would be the speedways that he declared his new home.

In no time, Spyro had mastered the obstacles of Ocean Speedway, and the fishy audience was cheering his name as he glided past. One such merlady, however, wasn't so impressed. "I bet you think you're hot stuff, don't you, little dragon?" she drawled, fanning her delicate face.

"Yeah, that's what I hear sometimes," Spyro shrugged with a cocky smirk.

"Well, it's one thing to master the obstacle course," Queen Finny pointed out. "It's another to be a racer. I'd LOVE to see you go head-to-head with the current champ."

"Alright, no problem!" Spyro wasn't the least bit concerned. What creature in Avalar could keep up with a dragon? "Where is your high-and-mighty champ?"

His question was answered by the loud flap of wings. The crowds' cheers turned as a figure shot up into the sky, descending down into the audience. At first, he seemed a monstrous competitor, lithe and limber with large, muscular wings...

...And then it turned out to be Hunter with fake dragon-wings tied to his arms. "Hiya, Finny!" he greeted. "I heard some newbie's trying to take my crown?"

Finny pointed cheetah to dragon and dragon to cheetah. "Spyro, meet our course champion, Hunter. Hunter, meet your new challenger, Spyro."

The crowd hushed as the air became tense between the rivals. "We've met," Spyro spat, still bitter about Hunter's attack on Sparx in Aquaria Towers.

"Dragon, what are you doing here?" Hunter snapped. "Quit following me around!"

"I'm not following you! If anything, _you're _following _me!_"

"I have better things to do than follow a dragon around! Y'know, like fighting off Ripto?"

"Fighting Ripto, my tail! You haven't done a single thing since I've gotten here, you so-called hero of Summer Forest!"

"Boys, BOYS!" Queen Finny clapped her hands, regaining the spotlight. "If you two are going to have it out, make yourselves useful and do it in a race!"

oo00oo00oo

The Ocean Racetrack was one of the most elaborate in Avalar. It was made up of wicked twists and pin-sharp turns that took countless laps to complete, much less master. Hunter knew the course like the back of his hand - Summer Forest was his home, and if home-field advantage didn't give him an edge, nothing would. Spyro, on the other hand, was unfamiliar with the course, so it took most of the dragon's effort just to keep up. As much as he hated tailing, staying on Hunter's tail was his only way through the markers.

"Why don't you just go home, dragon?" Hunter asked, right before dipping down to reach the next checkpoint within the Ocean tunnels.

"Because SOMEONE summoned a magic dinosaur that's destroying Avalar," Spyro pointed out, adding extra attitude since Elora revealed that it was Hunter's bumbling that brought Ripto to the Winter Tundra, "and I can't leave until I fix that SOMEONE'S mistake."

"Y'know, why do you always have to cop an attitude with me?" the cheetah snapped, he and dragon both spinning to avoid a hillside and glide through a checkpoint. "You don't OWN Summer Forest, dragon. This is MY turf, not yours!"

"I'M copping an attitude?" Spyro paused, clumsily running against a wall to narrowly make a sharp turn. "You're the one that's been copping attitude! I don't HAVE to save your precious Summer Forest, you know!"

"So don't! I'm perfectly capable of saving Summer Forest by myself!"

"Elora and the Professor don't seem to think-"

"I don't CARE what Elora thinks! Just because you've brainwashed her with your dragon-voodoo doesn't mean anything!"

"Do you know ANYTHING about dragons, Hunter?"

"Yeah, I know that they're rude and obnoxious!" In a moment of blind fury, Spyro took a shot at Hunter, briefly falling behind for a second as his wings faltered to accommodate for his flame-breath. "See?!" the cheetah snapped, narrowly avoiding the attack. "I haven't laid a finger on you, and that's the second swing you've taken at me!"

"You were asking for it in Aquaria Towers!"

"Why? 'Cause I took a swing at your pwecious widdle dwagonfly?"

"Hunter, if you would've hit Sparx, you would've popped his bubble, and he could've drowned or gotten seriously hurt! Sorry I decided to step in and stop you from KILLING my best friend!"

Hunter couldn't come up with a snappy comeback. It sounded really harsh when he put it like that. "W-Well...Well, I didn't-"

"Of COURSE you didn't know," Spyro spat. "Why would you care? All you want is for me to get out of your precious Summer Forest, so why bother taking a second to be friendly and learn a thing or two?" Hunter stammered for a retort, but the raging dragon just continued. "No, no, don't bother. I get it, fine. You want me out of your face so bad, fine!"

They came upon the final straightaway. While Hunter had been flying at full speed the entire race, desperate to stay ahead of the dragon, Spyro had been holding back to keep pace. Now that the final marker was in sight, the dragon pounded his wings, rushing ahead of his archrival just in time to pass him across the finish line.

The racers settled into the audience once again, but while the crowds were in a frenzy, demanding to see more, Spyro recalled his upcoming battle with Ripto and moved towards the portal back to Summer Forest. "Look, whatever I did to make you so mad, I'm sorry," he called back to the fallen champion. "Don't worry, I'll go fight Ripto, then be on my merry way to Dragon Shores, and you and your precious Elora and your precious Summer Forest will never have to see me and my kind ever again."

Hunter gave a sigh once the purple dragon disappeared once more. Great, now he was a jerk AND lost his racing crown.

* * *

><p><em>Oh, Hunter, you're trying so hard to be cool. XD Will Spyro be able to flame Ripto out of Avalar? Will Hunter ever come to terms with his draconic rival? Will I actually remember to post next week's chapter on time? Find out next time, right here on <em>Legacy_! Thanks for reading, guys; hope you enjoyed! :)_

_______**_§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §_**_______


	18. Clash with Crush

_Hello, my little dragonlets! Alright, guys, I can't put it off any longer - who's ready for a boss fight up in this house? Then what are you standing around, reading author's notes for! Go, get reading! On with the show!_

**You found a disclaimer!**  
>Spyro the Dragon, both the game and all related characters (c) Insomniac. They own the Spyro that's in this story, so nyeh.<br>Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage / Gateway to Glimmer, as well as all related characters (c) blah-blah, same copyright.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Clash with Crush<strong>

Finally, the moment had arrived. The talismans blew through Ripto's sealing magic, throwing open all of the doors and revealing the dark path to the Summer Arena.

"You sure you're ready for this, Spyro?" Elora asked, nerves clearly present in her voice.

Spyro, however, was ramped up. "Of course! This is the whole reason you guys brought me here, right?"

"Right. ...Uhm...I-I know it's probably a dumb question, but...anything I can do to help you down there?"

"I don't want you coming after me," Spyro was quick to reply. "It's just too dangerous." He pondered for a second, recalling the herd of sheep that lived near the Aquaria portal. "...Could you go chase down some sheep and throw them down for me?"

"Sheep? Why?"

"Just trust me. It might come in handy."

"Alright, I'll do what I can." Elora gave Spyro a nervous wave. "Good luck."

Spyro returned the gesture with a Peacekeeper salute. "Thanks, but I won't need it."

oo00oo00oo

Spyro flapped his wings as he approached the bottom of his descent, finding himself in a well-lit arena. As he somewhat-expected, Ripto and his cronies were waiting for him. The tiny sorcerer was up above the battleground, while his blue lumbering muscle Crush was down below, swinging about his weighty club.

"Hope I'm not late to the party!" Spyro shouted up to his true target, the little orange dino.

Ripto gave a smarmy laugh. "Oh, no, dragon, you're just in time! We've been expecting you!" He waved a hand, still scepter-less thanks to Gulp's handiwork. "Alright, Crush! Lunchtime!"

Hearing the command, Crush finally came to life, storming after the tiny dragonlet with his club in the air. However, while Crush was several times Spyro's size, Spyro was several times faster. The Artisan easily ran circles around Ripto's clunky muscle, giving Crush a swift torch in the tail before he even realized what was going on.

Crush was unaffected, which caused Spyro to retreat (...after a tug from Sparx) and rethink his strategy. More irritated than afflicted by the tiny torch, Crush gave a massive growl, smashing down on the ground as if to seem more threatening.

This plan backfired quite spectacularly when a piece of the ceiling fell, crashing straight onto Crush's head. Spyro stumbled, fighting to stay on his feet while laughing at the hilarious failure. "Hey, Ripto! Next time, invest in toys that don't break themselves, okay?"

"CRUSH!" With a snarl, Ripto used his magic to discard the rocks, causing the spots on the floor to illuminate as a dizzied Crush got up to his feet. "What are you DOING? _DESTROY_ THAT DRAGON!"

Noticing the flicker of lights on the floor, Crush instead moved to one of the blinking spots. He jumped up and down on the magical light, sending bright blue shockwaves throughout the arena.

Now Spyro had suffered through more than his fair share of electric shocks during his time in Summer Forest, so one could imagine a reasonable amount of panic on his part. However, Crush's shockwaves were low to the ground, so Spyro gave an exaggerated yawn as he simply hopped over them. "Come on, Ripto, is that the best you've got? I was expecting a fight, now I'm just bored!"

The hot-headed sorcerer waved his arms again, turning the dots from blue to red. "I'll show you a fight, you smart-mouthed dragon!"

With a dull laugh, Crush pounded down on the glowing red spots on the floor, sending out red-hot fireballs that fired straight for the young dragon. If Spyro were a bit older and a bit taller, dodging the deadly projectiles would've been nearly impossible. However, with youth came agility (though all those hours on the speedways probably helped), so Spyro could easily tumble out of the way. "Really, Ripto? Fighting a fire-dragon with fire? Get creative, would ya?"

Ripto let out a frustrated yell. "CRUSH! JUST CHASE HIM DOWN AND SMASH HIM! GRIND THAT DRAGON'S BONES INTO DRAGON DUST!"

Forced to obey his master, Crush attempted to chase down the dragon again. Deciding to have fun, Spyro turned around, still managing to outrun the clunky Crush even while running backwards. "Come on, Crush! What, do I have to hold still for you or something?" After a bit of a run, the Artisan slid to a stop. "Come on, take a shot!"

Crush wound up his swing and smashed the floor. Not realizing that Spyro had lured him into the spot he smashed the first time. The deft dragon easily ducked out of the way, leaving the ceiling to crack and crumble further. A few more large rocks fell from the elaborate ceilings, nearly burying the behemoth after knocking him unconscious.

Spyro gave a yawn, approaching Ripto's platform. "Well, that was a fun warm-up. You ready to come down here and get your butt kicked yet?"

Ripto gave a growl. "CRUSH! Ugh! You may have been able to defeat that _simpleton, _but Gulp will be MORE than a match for you, dragon!"

The Artisan laughed. If Crush were any gauge, Gulp was probably not much smarter. "Bring it on, shorty!"

Ripto fumed, shaking with pure anger and snorting like a wild dinosaur. "GULP! Get out here! NOW!" The door behind Ripto slid open, and Gulp's footsteps shook the arena as he approached. "DESTROY that dragon! And make sure it's PAINFUL!"

_Thunk! _The dungeon door snagged, though that didn't stop Gulp from trying to force his way through. The green giant's bulk jamming against the faulty door dislodged a few more rocks from the ceiling, shaking the entire arena in a way that panicked dragon and dino alike. "Augh! Now the roof's caving in?!"

Ripto shoved Gulp back through the door, but not before sliding through himself. "Gulp, let's get out of here!" Before they fled, though, the dino turned back to face his dragon foe. "I'll deal with you later, dragon."

Once Gulp fell away from the door, the quakes stopped...though that didn't make Spyro any more comfortable, looking at how little was left to hold the roof up. "Man, what a wuss," he said with a laugh and a shake of his head. "Come on, Sparx, let's get-"

The dragon paused when he saw his dragonfly over by the pile of debris that crushed Crush. "Sparx?"

"Spyro, come here." The Artisan approached his fallen foe, joining his dragonfly-brother. "You notice anything..._familiar _about Crush here?"

Spyro gave Crush a closer look. Up until now, he had only exchanged passing glances with Ripto and friends, so he had never stopped to take in any details. Crush was an even bigger brute up close, covered head to toe in beaten blue scales. He also had mighty black claws, which contrasted against the spiraled gold horns on his head...and the tiny, broken wings on his back...and his misplaced fang...and his broken stump of a tail...

Upon closer examination of Crush's giveaway traits, Spyro understood the point his partner wanted to make. Still...could it be true? "No way, Sparx. He works for Ripto."

"So?"

Hard to argue that logic. Spyro swallowed as a pit dropped into his stomach. "Yeah, but do you really think Crush is a...?"

He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.

_Dragon?_

oo00oo00oo

"Goodness me, I'm glad that's over! Ugh, Ripto's caused MORE than enough damage!"

Moneybags took a long, exhausted sigh. Now that Ripto was gone and the Avalari flags flew over Summer Castle once more, the bear could return to _his _beloved home, the Autumn Manor. After spending so long chasing Spyro throughout the hot and humid forest, it was a delight to return to the crisp and clean air of the Autumn Plains.

But of course, he couldn't return without repairing all of the damage Ripto had done to the Summer Castle. The entire arena was nearly destroyed! (Likely no thanks to that meddling dragon...) "Ugh, all of Ripto's handiwork is costing me a _fortune! _And to think, all of that time, and I still haven't managed to wrestle that dragon treasure from Spyro!"

The bear stretched, taking a few playful swipes at the air to relieve his frustration. "Ooh! If that Ripto were here, I'd give him a piece of my mind! In fact, I'd give him a lot more than that! I was a championship bantamweight boxer at university, after all! I'm sure I remember some old moves..."

Moneybags' faux fight sent him spinning, where he came face to face with an orange sorcerer on the back of a large, green dinosaur. "Boo," Ripto laughed quietly.

The bear gave only the manliest of shrieks, and in his panic to back away, tumbled off of the balcony. "Why, you...YOU! OOF! Ow..."

Ripto couldn't help but laugh. (Especially after that bear tried to charge him for the pipes he used to drain the water from Aquaria into his park at Sunny Beach.) Taking over Avalar was like taking candy from a riptoclet!

* * *

><p><em>World 1 complete! Whoo! Thanks for reading, guys! Join us next time, here on Legacy, as Spyro prepares to take on the Autumn Forest! <em>

________**_§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §_**________


	19. The Ides of Autumn

_Hey, guys, welcome back to Legacy! Ready to start our adventure into the second homeworld? :) Then let's get on with the show!_

**You found a disclaimer!**  
>Spyro the Dragon, both the game and all related characters (c) Insomniac. They own the Spyro that's in this story, so nyeh.<br>Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage / Gateway to Glimmer, as well as all related characters (c) blah-blah, same copyright.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER NINETEEN: The Ides of Autumn<strong>

As usual, a dragon's work is never done. After hearing that Ripto had taken over the Autumn Manor, Spyro, Elora, and Hunter rushed over to Autumn Plains as quickly as they could. However, similar to the situation in Summer Forest, Ripto and Gulp were holed up in the depths of the Manor corridors. This time, Ripto's seal was even _more _powerful - even with the six talismans of Summer Forest, the wall would not budge. They'd need the remaining eight talismans, which Elora mentioned all resided in the eight worlds of Autumn Plains.

"Y'know, Autumn Plains seems like a nice place," Spyro mentioned, embracing the cool autumn breeze as Elora escorted him through the new homeworld. Where Summer Forest was warm and lush, Autumn Plains exchanged green forestry for gold, and the temperature cooled down to the comfortable edge of just-a-little-too-cold.

Elora, who hadn't been to the Plains since she moved to Summer Forest and began her studies for the Professor, hesitated to agree. "Yeah, it's...alright."

"So why'd you leave?" Elora mentioned that her original home was amongst the fauns and satyrs in Fracture Hills, but never explained how she went from the Plains to the Forest.

Elora pondered her answer, uncertain if she wanted to delve into the fights that split her apart from her sister. "I wanted to work with the Professor, so he sent me to study in the Summer Castle while he did his experiments in the Winter Tundra," she said instead. (At least she was telling the truth, right?) "I wanted a change of pace when the wars started to break out."

Spyro slid to a stop. "Wait, wait - wars?"

"The creatures in Autumn Plains don't...necessarily get along," Elora explained in the loosest sense she could. (It was the understatement of the century, but Spyro didn't need to know that.) "That's why we moved six of the talismans over to Summer Forest - to make sure no one world could get a hold of all fourteen. But it shouldn't get in your way," she was quick to add at the end. "They usually stay within their own worlds, and besides, Ripto's the bigger problem right now."

Still, Spyro was uncertain. The dragons didn't 'necessarily get along' between realms, but the fact that you could avoid them didn't make pulling all five worlds together any easier. "Alright, Elora, if you say so."

oo00oo00oo

The war of the worlds, though, would have to wait - there was more exploration to be done throughout the upper corridors of Autumn Manor, which was in surprising disarray in comparison to its Summer sister. Portals were out of reach and beginning to malfunction, doors were jamming, walls were crumbling...

"Man, you weren't kidding when you said Autumn Plains is falling apart," Spyro laughed, ducking between rock piles and fallen supports as he and Elora moved past a shattered wall into an old staircase.

"Hey, I tried to warn you," Elora tsked, struggling to keep up as her height prevented her from moving through as stealthily as the young dragon.

"Where's this junky staircase lead, anyway?"

"My guess would be up to the roof."

Indeed, Elora was correct. Dragon and faun emerged from the musty staircase, finding themselves atop the highest tower in the Autumn Manor. The high altitude amplified the winds that whipped around them, forcing the faun to give a little shiver as she rubbed her barren arms. They stood miles above the Plains, able to see every last piece of it from their fantastic vantage.

"Wow, this is incredible," Spyro whistled. "Man, you could glide anywhere from here!"

"Probably a dumb question, but you're a fan of heights, aren't you?" Elora laughed.

"Yes and yes." The Artisan fluttered his golden wings. "Or did these not give you the hint?"

"No, they did - like I said, dumb question." Elora leaned against one of the merlons, admiring their incredulous view. "I've never really liked heights, but...wow, this is amazing."

"Never liked heights? Why not?"

"Fauns don't fly, you dork."

Spyro blew a puff of hot smoke Elora's way, then laid next to her and her merlon, also taking a second to admire the scenery. "I'd take you flying one day."

"You would?"

"Yeah, seriously, you would?" Sparx echoed, voice buzzing with doubt.

"Well, after the Ripto thing blows over," Spyro tsked, as if it were obvious that his work came first. "But yeah, I'll take you into a speedway or something. We'll make a day out of it."

"A day, right." Elora's heart dropped a bit when she heard _day _and not _date, _but quickly brushed it off. _Come on, Elora, focus! He's a dragon, he's not that into you!_

"What's flying like?" she asked, desperate to change the subject.

Spyro hesitated, trying to explain flight to someone without wings. "Well, it's kind of like...It's kind of like that feeling you get when you jump off of something and you're falling, but you never stop falling, y'know? It's just that floating feeling, like you never have to touch the ground again."

"Kind of like swimming?"

The Artisan couldn't help but laugh. Swimming in the air; how stupid did _THAT _sound? "Yeah...something like that."

Elora finally backed away from her merlon, partially because she was cold and partially because she wanted to move along before she said something else stupid in front of their beloved dragon guest. "We should, uhm...y'know, finish looking around so we can go after those talismans!"

Spyro gave a small huff. Right, talismans. "Yeah, yeah, just...give me a sec, okay? I'll meet you downstairs." Elora gave a nod and started back down the stairs. The young faun seemed obsessed with hunting down all of the talismans - Ripto, talismans, orbs...it's all she ever mentioned. Granted, it was a reasonable situation, what with Ripto taking over her world, but...couldn't she talk about anything _besides _that? Whenever they started a normal, friendly conversation, she would almost immediately change the subject.

The Artisan gave a sigh, jumping off of the massive tower and throwing open his wings, deciding to take a scenic glide over the new area. Girls - strange and unpredictable as ever. Still, perhaps it was for the better. Elora just wanted her home to be safe; after Ripto was gone, Spyro would likely never see Avalar and its inhabitants again. (Which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, considering it would also rid his life of a certain smart-mouthed cheetah.)

Maybe it was for the best that he not focus so much on making friends, and instead focus on finding the talismans and getting back to Dragon Shores as soon as he could.

* * *

><p><em>Aw, relationship problems already. XD Thanks for reading, guys! Hope you enjoyed! See you next week, where hopefully I'll actually remember to post on Saturday! :D<em>

________**_§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §_**________


	20. The Glacier

_Surprise, guys! :) I've got plans this weekend - that may or may not involve a certain young author in this conversation turning 21 - so rather than derp it off and risk posting late, you guys are getting your chapter hot and fresh on Friday! Whoo! Now let's get on with the show, now 20% ahead of schedule!_

**You found a disclaimer!**  
>Spyro the Dragon, both the game and all related characters (c) Insomniac. They own the Spyro that's in this story, so nyeh.<br>Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage / Gateway to Glimmer, as well as all related characters (c) blah-blah, same copyright.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER TWENTY: The Glacier <strong>

_Oggy and Iggy kept as quiet as they could as they crawled towards the edge of the icy ledge. Down below, they could see the wicked Ice Wizards leading Shaman Tuk into his elaborately-carved ice cell. It was heartbreaking to see their proud ruler, one of the most mystical men in Crystal Glacier, trapped behind walls of ice and bone._

_Especially since he had their hockey tickets._

_Sneaking through the shadows, the young icebuilders made their way to the back of the cell. They silently nodded at each other, having rehearsed the plan several times before their departure. Oggy lowered his spear, allowing Iggy to step on top of it. With a swift flip, Iggy shot straight into the air, ready to land on top of the cell and start smashing the ice to free Shaman Tuk._

_As Iggy reached the apex of his jump, he found himself face-to-face with an Ice Wizard. "Eep."_

_The Ice Wizard unleashed a ball of frosty magic, trapping the icebuilder in a block of ice. Gravity quickly finished the job, dropping the ice-block straight down and smashing the accomplice below._

oo00oo00oo

"Seriously, Avalar is getting weirder and weirder every time we step through a portal."

Spyro frowned, taking a closer look at the blocks of frozen icebuilder that littered Crystal Glacier. "Sparx, I don't think they're just laying around frozen for fun."

The purple Artisan shook off the cold, then took a deep breath and torched the block of ice. After a shudder of his own, the icebuilder stretched out his muscles before approaching his rescue-dragon. "So is there a problem here, or is this ice-block thing a weird game you guys play?" Spyro asked.

The icebuilder, Widgie, shook his head. "It's the work of those scary Ice Wizards!"

"Ice Wizards?" Spyro and Sparx gave each other a look. They were plenty familiar with the Ice Wizards, considering the weather wizards had all but taken over the Magic Crafters during Gnasty's short reign. But...what was dragon magic doing in Avalar?

Shaking off the question (and adding it to the long list of things he'd have to discuss with the Professor, Nestor and Astor, or just about anyone else after Ripto was taken care of), Spyro turned back to the icebuilder. "So the Ice Wizards have locked up you and all of your friends?"

"Oh, no, much worse than that!" Widgie countered. "They've locked up our leader, Shaman Tuk! And he has all of our tickets to tonight's hockey game in Colossus Valley!"

For some reason, Spyro felt so much more urgency in getting the icebuilders to Colossus than any of the other Ripto-tastrophes he had stopped thus far. "Don't worry, you guys aren't missing a game on my watch! Just leave it to me!"

The dragon went to rush off, then skidded just short of the gorge. They were sitting on a small island, quite some distance away from the Glacier mainland. "Uhm...why does the portal drop you off all the way over here?"

"Problems with the bonebuilders in the long-long-ago," Widgie explained, grabbing a rock and smashing his friends free. "Don't worry, we'll show you how to get across! Just stand there!" The icebuilder pointed to a large, flat bone, sitting atop a rounded rock - namely, the side of the bone touching the ground.

However apprehensive, Spyro obeyed the icebuilder's order. Once Widgie freed the remaining icebuilders, the acrobatic cave-dwellers climbed into a tall stack, with Widgie at its top. With a giddy scream, Widgie jumped off, landing hard and fast on the elevated half of the old bone.

Physics went to work, and the purple dragon was thrown across the treacherous chasm, skidding to a stop after a less-than-pleasant landing in the snowpiles on the other side.

Well, that was one way to get from Point A to Point B.

oo00oo00oo

Another way, as Spyro was quick to discover, was by flying. Crystal Glacier was home to yet another of the Professor's shoddy powerups. This one was a superfly, with the same enchantment that had changed Spyro's life only a year ago: the wind spell that filled the speedways and made it possible for dragonlets to fly with premature wings.

And Shaman Tik promised unlimited use of their sacred powerup...for a price.

Spyro quietly flew through the dark tunnels, having only his keen dragon sight and Sparx's glow to show the path through the tourist tunnels. Tik had mentioned an infestation, a horrible take-over of creatures called 'draclets' that reproduced like mad and devoured anyone who dared to tour through the tunnels. (Not that he could figure out why they ran tours through this tunnel in the first place; the entire system was lined in frigid water that burned your flesh with frostbite within seconds of contact. Hence the superfly.)

"I dunno, Sparx, I don't see any draculs or whatever they're called," Spyro tsked quietly, flapping his wings to stay above the eerie ice-water.

"Well, maybe the icebuilders are overreacting," Sparx buzzed. "Maybe people are just falling in the water or-"

_**BLEH-HEH-HEH!**_

"Ack!" Spyro's wings went into a panic, frantic to stay in flight as dragon and dragonfly screeched to a halt in fright. A creature had just dropped from the ceiling, dangling from the stalactites by a glittering thread. It was a toxic shade of green, with three bulging eyes that were lit up in excitement from finding a meal. Its six spindly legs twitched in every direction, and drool dripped from its rows of pointy teeth. It slurped and chirped in a tizzy, swinging about in hopes of capturing the dragon in its mouth.

Spyro lost a few feet of altitude, but ran against the wall and spun around to re-face the draclet. Pumping his wings to regain the lost height, the Artisan rushed forward, unleashing a breath of flame that knocked the draclet from its web and sent it crashing into the icy waters below. "Man, that was a little too close," the dragon panted.

Sparx laughed. "You were scared."

"I was not!" Spyro retorted, swiping at his dragonfly-brother. "I was just spooked, that's all!"

"Yeah, sure."

"Hey, you screamed, to-AAH!"

Mid-argument, Spyro was forced into an impromptu backflip as two more draclets dropped down from the shadows, landing on a safe piece of land below them and jumping high into the air to grab at the intruding dragon. The Artisan circled past as quick as he could, flying just close enough to the islet to torch the draclets back into the water and resume his flight. "Come on, how many of these things ARE there?"

"Oh, these oversized bugs aren't so tough," Sparx buzzed. "Come on, let's just finish flying through these spooky caves and blast these things."

"Yeah, I know." Spyro winced for a second as a spike of pain hit his back, but he shook it off and shot a smile to his partner. "Dragon Shores by lunchtime, right?" he joked.

Despite the dragon's best attempt, though, his dragonfly noticed the wince. "You alright, Spy?"

"Y-Yeah, just..." He winced again as the pain returned, now slowly pulsing through his wings. "I think my wings are cramping up or something."

Sparx buzzed in front, flying backwards to stay eye-to-eye with his dragon. "You're kidding me, right, Spyro? I've seen you spend a whole day out on the speedways, and you can't fly through Crystal Glaciers for five minutes?"

Spyro puffed a breath of hot air, just enough to send Sparx flying a few feet. "Back off, Sparx; not all of us can be dragonflies and get through life without legs." He dipped off course slightly, rolling a shoulder in hopes of relieving the pain and tension building in his wings. "L-Look, like you said, let's just...finish these caves and-"

The Artisan didn't finish his statement, interrupting by a biting pain that crumpled his wing. In a last-ditch effort, Spyro dug his claws into the icy walls and, with the extra push, just barely tumbled onto another of the caverns' rare islets of safety. "Ow, ow, ow!"

Sparx took a second to look at his own bright, golden glow. Spyro hurt in a way that wasn't setting off his dragon-sense? It just didn't add up. "Seriously, Spy, what's going on?"

Spyro stretched his back, allowing his wings to refold against his back for a moment of rest. Now that he was grounded, the pain immediately began to fade. "Ow...I don't know, but...I think I'm alright now. Must've just been a weird cramp or wing-spasm or something."

Sparx scoffed - dragons, go figure. "Whatever you say, Spyro. Come on, let's go. Can you get airborne?"

Spyro took a few steps of a running start, then jumped into the air and flapped his wings, expecting the spell to take over and lift him into the skies. However, the spell faltered and gravity took over instead. Just like normal, Spyro's wings flattened under his weight, and he fell straight back to the ice. "Uhm...I think that's a no."

"Oh, that's just great!" Sparx buzzed annoyedly. "Junk powerups; Tik sent you in here with a temporary flying spell! Great, the shamans are trying to get us killed, you're grounded in the middle of this dark, frozen cave, and-"

The dragonfly's buzz came to a halt as Sparx turned the corner. Every inch of the icy-blue caves were suddenly covered in spots of toxic green, and a chorus of clicking legs and slurping laughs echoed through the darkness as it was slowly lit up by hundreds and hundreds of bulging draclet eyes. Slimy eggs crackled in the distance; every time one would crack, a new trio of eyes would appear.

"...And what?"

"...And good news; you won't have to fly to find the draclets..."

oo00oo00oo

The Ice Wizards laughed as they continued freezing up all of the little icebuilders who they found scurrying past, all desperate to free their beloved Shaman. They lapped up the pathetic attempts of their captives, who were clearly incapable of taking care of themselves without the one called Tuk. By removing one simple leader, they had thrown all of Crystal Glacier into a tizzy, causing madness and the collapse of society.

...The Ice Wizards also didn't know about the Colossus game. Suprisingly, they weren't known for being fans of ice hockey.

So while the Wizards enjoyed their moment of victory, Spyro, Oggy, and Iggy snuck up to the mountain behind the ice prison where Shaman Tuk was being held. The prison was made of the thickest, most magical ice Spyro had ever seen; one that could even withstand a blast of his mighty flames.

So the Artisan turned to the local experts. "You two have a plan?"

Oggy nodded. "Go distract the Ice Wizards; we free Shaman Tuk."

Obeying his orders, Spyro ran out to the circle of Ice Wizards, sliding out in the most dramatic of fashions across the slippery snow. "Hey, Ice Wizards! _Cool _party you guys are having! Nice to see you wizards can keep it _chill!_"

The Ice Wizards looked up from their icebuilder harassment. "Is that dragon throwing ice puns at us?"

"Oh, I dunno, Spyro!" Sparx added in. "I heard that a warm front's coming! Looks like the weather won't be so _ICE!_"

"Sparx, you can't make jokes about the weather!" Spyro lightly scolded. "That's _snow _good!"

"That dragon's throwing ice puns at us!" Infuriated (as weather wizards are notorious pun-haters), one of the Ice Wizards threw a large snowball their way.

Spyro easily rolled out of the way, playfully shaking his tail. "Aw, what's the matter, guys? I thought my jokes would be a good _ice-breaker!_"

"Ripto will have your head, pun-dragon!" another Ice Wizard cursed, adding to the snowball assault.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake. "LOOK OUT BELOW!"

While Spyro was nimble enough to rush out of the way, the Ice Wizards couldn't process the giant snowball rolling down towards them, and were helpless to avoid it. The evil sorcerers were crushed under their own element as it rolled down the slick mountainside, smashing into the door of the ice prison.

...And the rest of the prison, too. Hockey tickets or not, Oggy and Iggy ran for their lives upon realizing that they may have flattened Shaman Tuk on accident. So it was up to Spyro to go inside once the area was quiet. "Shaman Tuk? Are you okay?"

Inside, the Artisan found a reeling shaman, shaking snow out of his staff and robe. "I'm fine," he grumbled. "But those idiots could've found a way to get me out of this thing without smashing me with a two-ton snowball."

"Yeah, that might've been nice." The icebuilders were extraordinarily clever, but seemed to lack in general common sense.

After getting back to his feet, Shaman Tuk reached into his robes and pulled out a sparkling crystal. "You're the dragon fighting Ripto, right? Here, you'll need our talisman. I had to trade some hockey tickets to get it, but your mission is a bit more important than a trip to Colossus Valley."

oo00oo00oo

_With the Ice Wizards defeated and Shaman Tuk free to roam the Glacier, there was only one piece of business left (since the Ice Wizards "stole" their hockey tickets). Oggy, Iggy, and Widgie were tasked with bringing the icebuilder flag back up to the village centertower, since it had been taken down by the Ice Wizards._

_Oggy planted the golden landmark, and stepped back to admire their accomplishment. Unfortunately, the narrow path of the tower-top didn't allow this, and Oggy fell to the ground, smashing head-first into the snow._

_Iggy got a few good laughs at Oggy's expense, and Widgie repaid the favor by knocking Iggy off of the tower and into the snow._

_And, of course, the icebuilders were gymnasts of style and coordination, so Widgie jumped down to join them._

_Shaman Tuk wandered out to see the newly-planted flag, and eyes quickly fell to the three icebuilder bodies sticking out from the snow, all wriggling and mumbling for help. He shook his head, no longer questioning why the two-ton snowball was their escape plan of choice._

* * *

><p><em>I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter; it's one of my favorites, just like Crystal Glacier is one of my favorite areas. XD Anyway, thanks for reading, guys! See you next time!<br>_

________**_§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §_**________


	21. Vamos Al Badlands

_Happy picnic weekend, guys! Who's ready for a fanfiction update? :D  
><em>

**You found a disclaimer!**  
>Spyro the Dragon, both the game and all related characters (c) Insomniac. They own the Spyro that's in this story, so nyeh.<br>Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage / Gateway to Glimmer, as well as all related characters (c) blah-blah, same copyright.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: Vamos Al Badlands<strong>

_Tonk paused her hammering to stare at her hammer. It felt very hot all of a sudden, but hammers on bone didn't make fire. To test it, she brought the hammer to her head. No, definitely no fire. But why so hot?_

_"YEE-OWCH!" Tonk flew into the air as a sharp pain scorched her skirtcloth, catching a glimpse of a flame-head laughing at her down below. The flame-heads were just one of the horrific horrors brought into the Badlands by that nasty orange dinosaur with the fancy black cape. And as Tonk came back to the ground, she was quick to find another one - the fire-breathing catabats. The fierce flyer gave a shriek as it chased her down, flaming skirtcloth and all, so all Tonk could do was run. Run and run and run..._

_Until the ground ran out. Darn it._

oo00oo00oo

Spyro stretched his wings and soaked up the sunlight as he and Sparx glided into the Skelos Badlands. After the Glacier, ANY warm weather was welcome, but the Artisan-raised-Peacekeeper always had an affinity for unforgiving deserts and blazing sunlight. His scales were much better suited to fighting the heat than the cold, and dry weather just meant a better environment for torching baddies.

Yep, Spyro was right at home in the Skelos desert...though the locals didn't seem convinced.

"Badlands tougher than you think, purple dragon," Shaman Gronk tsked with a lazy stretch. "Badlands called Badlands for reason. Full of burning things that eat dragons."

"I'm not afraid of a little fire," Spyro retorted cockily.

"Not little fire," Gronk corrected. "Flame-heads and catabats, brought from the lava by the black shaman."

"Black shaman?"

"Orange dinosaur wielding shaman stick summon many flame-heads and catabats, make Badlands worse than normal," he explained. (Ripto, what a surprise.) "Badlands chew dragon up and spit dragon out. Gronk make bet with brother Glug that dragon get singed."

"Well, I think we'll be fine," Spyro shrugged, rushing off into the desert chasms. Really, he was going to take threats from someone who didn't know how to make a sentence?

oo00oo00oo

Almost immediately, though, the Skelos Badlands would prove to be trouble. Spyro could guess that by the shaman guarding the bridge to the bonebuilder village with his life. "Hey, is...there a problem here?"

"Black shaman make Lava Lizards rain from the sky!" Shaman Lumpy cried. "Lava Lizards going to eat entire village!"

Spyro stumbled for a second, unsure that he had heard correctly. "They're going to _eat _the locals?" Indeed, if you looked across the chasm, the bonebuilder village was littered with gigantic eggs...the first of which was shaking, ready to hatch. You could see and hear the panic of the bonebuilders, all rushing for their lives to hide from the lizard menace.

The dragonlet lowered his horns towards Lumpy. "Lower the bridge," he ordered. "I'm going over there."

Not about to argue with a dragon, the shaman dropped the bridge, allowing it to roll over to the village. Spyro rushed across it, and not a moment too soon: the second he reached the village, the first egg broke open, releasing a giant black dinosaur onto the village. (And that was just a baby, Spyro realized with a cringe.)

Spyro torched the dino, allowing one of the locals to rush inside their hut safely. As soon as they were safe, though, two more eggs burst open, allowing the newly-hatched Lava Lizards to rush after a pair of villagers. Spyro rushed to intercept, and just barely downed the dinos as they crossed paths.

Across the village, Spyro's ears perked as he heard the familiar cracking of eggs. Three more dinos had just broken loose on the mini-island, and Spyro just barely reached them in time. The third of the villagers was already airborne and plummeting straight for the Lava Lizard's mouth by the time Spyro arrived to bring it down.

With six dinos down, Spyro thought that the village was safe. ...Until he heard one more stampeding towards the bridge and the lonely villager running for safety by Shaman Lumpy. The dragon pushed his legs as fast as they would run, and with a pouncing dive, managed to knock over the Lava Lizard with just enough time for the final villager to run for safety.

The Artisan gave a heavy sigh, dropping into the sand once the village was clear. That was far too close for comfort, even for an adrenaline junkie like Spyro. But at least he saved the day: the Lava Lizards were gone, the villagers were safe...

...And there was a pack of pterodactyls overhead, dropping a fresh batch of Lava Lizard eggs into the village, sending the bonebuilders into another frightened tizzy.

Alright, Grog won - the Skelos Badlands were tough.

oo00oo00oo

The dancing Lava Toad twirled his bone, taunting the almighty dragon who didn't dare to chase him down. The creature was safely rolling in a deep pool of lava, his thick flesh unaffected by the scorching temperatures.

Spyro wasn't so defended. Dragon scales could absorb heat and sunlight, but they didn't hold up well against scalding lava. The purple dragon already knew about the pain of the black tar pits in Cliff Town; he assumed molten lava wouldn't be much more pleasant.

Were this the Dragon Realms, Spyro would be at a total loss for ways to reach the Lava Toad and retrieve its stolen treasure. (Then again, in the Dragon Realms, there would be no Lava Toads to begin with.) However, these weren't his home Realms - this was Avalar, home to one industrious Professor and his power-up towers.

Upon hearing that Spyro was facing down the Skelos Badlands, the Professor sent over a new power-up. Where the superfly and supercharge invoked wind and the superflame invoked heat, this one had a steely chill, almost unimaginable in the Skelos heat. The invulnerability power-up, it was called. And Spyro didn't have the slightest idea how it worked.

"Alright, Spyro, so we're going to be smart about this, right?" Sparx buzzed.

"Yep."

"No doing anything stupid or dangerous, right?"

"Yep."

"We're going to think this out calmly, and then-" _Shing! _"Why do I bother talking if you never listen to me?!"

Of course, Spyro decided to test the power-up by...well, testing the power-up. He rushed through the gates, which landed him straight in the lava-pool that had collected in the walls of the Skelos caverns. The Artisan froze for a second, cringing as he braced himself for blinding pain, but his paws sank into the mud-like lava effortlessly. Each and every scale felt coated with a sort of cool force-field, fighting back the pain and the heat of the magma. Fighting to get his footing in the mushy substance, Spyro turned his eyes to the Lava Toad, who quickly realized he was in for a world of hurt.

Horns met Toad in a quick collision, and Spyro was free to dig up the golden bone that he had dropped. He paused, however, when he felt the heat against his snout when he lowered to pick it up. Indeed, the back corner of the lava-pool felt hotter than the front, but why would that be? His paws felt warmer, his wings felt hotter...even the drips of lava from the golden bone felt scorching hot inside of his mouth.

When Spyro looked down and saw the black char beginning to form on his paws, it finally clicked: _right, temporary power-ups._

Clawing to get through the thick lava was challenging, but Spyro managed to hop out and fly to safety just as the invulnerability wore off, bouncing with pain as the remains of lava clung to his legs and had to be shaken off. Alright, so he got a little singed in the Badlands - still, not a big deal, right?

The bones, as Spyro learned seven Lava Toads later, were for Shaman Ooga, whom he found at Skelos Lake, mourning over the loss of a golden skull. His best friend, ripped to shreds and torn apart by the bloodthirsty Lava Toads, leaving nothing more than a skull and a rib-cage in its place.

So the young dragon interrupted the mourning, placing the pile of collected bones at Ooga's feet. "Were you looking for these, by chance?"

Ooga's eyes lit up. "Spyro! You find the bones! Now Shaman Ooga fix friend!" With a little help from the Artisan, Ooga reassembled the bones into a skeletal lay-out, the gold pieces glimmering in the glow of the lava lake. "Oh, Spyro, Ooga and friend forever grateful for dragon's help."

"Hey, no problem. All in a day's-"

_YEAAAAAAAAAA~AH!_

Suddenly, all eyes were on the skeleton, which lifted off the ground and reassembled in mid-air, giving a pleasant little shake. It burst out into a funky riff, jamming out with finger points and splits and moonwalks before breaking out into a circle of backflips. _Aw, yeah! Hit it!_

"...Ooga's friend likes to dance. Have great rhythm for no muscles."

oo00oo00oo

"Ha! Glug told Gronk! No bonebuilder dumb enough to bet against dragon!" Shaman Glug got a hearty laugh when he saw that Spyro had survived the Badlands. His dim-witted brother would be bringing him Lava Toad eggs for a month!

"Nice to know you had such faith in me," Spyro laughed lightly. (If this was what they considered scary, the bonebuilders had clearly never seen the Peacekeepers' realm.)

Glug pulled out a golden bone (luckily one different from the ones he had just returned to Ooga), and offered it to the dragon. "Here. Glug hear dragon looking for talismans. Dragon get reward for helping Glug win bet. Dragon welcome to Glug's hut for Lava Toad eggs anytime!"

"I'll, uh...be sure to take you up on that."

oo00oo00oo

_And so, with the Badlands conquered, Tonk and Tug found the confidence to do what no other bonebuilder could - tame the mighty Lava Lizards. With Tonk's video-camera in hand, she was ready to capture Tug's attempt at soothing the savage beast. Tug gave a wave, getting one back when Tonk's camera was prepared, then held out his bone. The Lava Lizard, hungry for a bone to chew, was immediately attracted to the treat._

_So Tug threw it. The Lava Lizard gave chase, steamrolling everything in its path to retrieve the alluring bone. Tonk just happened to be standing in its way._

_With no evidence besides the recording, Tug swiped the camera and ran. Tonk would be fine._

* * *

><p><em>Sweet, I don't have to write cavebuilders again for a good, long while. XD Anyway, thanks for reading, guys! Hope you enjoyed! See you next week! :)<em>

________**_§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §_**________


	22. War

_Hello, my little dragonlets! Who's ready for some headcanon and exploiting one of Autumn Plains' most controversial areas? :D Then let's get on with the show!_

**You found a disclaimer!**  
>Spyro the Dragon, both the game and all related characters (c) Insomniac. They own the Spyro that's in this story, so nyeh.<br>Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage / Gateway to Glimmer, as well as all related characters (c) blah-blah, same copyright.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: War<strong>

_Beaky gave a smile as he blew out his torch, ruffling his feathers to warm them in the heat of his newly-stoked fire. The steam-powered engines were a godsend; all of the energy they'd ever need, and all it took was a tower of water and a little fire!_

Splish! _The breezebuilder cringed as he felt the warm flame quickly extinguish into the chilly night. Immediately, the first culprit was the nearby water bucket. Nothing else around had water, right? Cautiously holding the suspect bucket at wing's length, Beaky slowly peered inside._

Splish! _An orange landblubber popped his head out, just long enough to spit a mouthful of sea brine in the breezebuilder's face and bounce away with a laugh._

_Beaky grumbled, wiping the grimy water from his beak. Landblubbers. Yuck._

oo00oo00oo

Breeze Harbor was the first area of Autumn Plains that actually reflected the autumn weather. Unlike the frozen tundras of Crystal Glacier and the blistering heat of Skelos Badlands, the Harbor was filled with cool night air, covered in salty breezes from the nearby ocean. It was a pleasant place to land.

...Until you stopped and listened to the metal racket that rang around every corner.

Spyro eventually found the source to be one of the local breezebuilders, smacking at a bouncing bucket with his wrench, cursing the "landblubber" for ruining his boiler. Unable to contain his hero-senses, the purple dragon rushed into action, head-butting the bouncing bucket straight off the harbor. "You guys always have that much trouble with buckets around here?"

"Not exactly," Beaky groaned. "I wish I could welcome you to Breeze Harbor, dragon, but the place is kind of a mess right now. Those landblubbers have taken over the whole harbor, putting out the fires on our boilers and shutting down our warship!"

"Warship?"

"Yeah! We just finished construction on a flying ship that we can use to drop soldiers and ammunition into the fields, and those landblubbers keep ruining it!"

Spyro's ears perked. A flying ship that could send back-up from across the Plains into Autumn Manor? Ripto wouldn't stand a chance! And all he had to do was knock a few more riptocs out of the way?

"Hey, if I clear out the whatchacall'em, could I get a tour of your ship?"

"Dragon, if you can fight back the landblubbers and fire up our boilers, you'd be more than welcome to the Breezebuilder Platoon!"

oo00oo00oo

Spyro gave a groan as he came down from the train-tracks. With all of their land-mines and TNT boxes, Ripto wasn't messing around in the harbor. (And if he heard Fisher ask "Hey, Spyro! Having trouble with the trolley?" one more time, he would be roasting breezebuilder meat over those fires he'd been stoking.)

Still, as he looked up and watched the SS Breeze lift up into the skies, all of the hard work was worth it. It was a beautiful vessel, reinforced with the toughest Avalari steel and equipped with rows of cannons. And yet, it was light as a feather, able to lift into the air with its powerful, scaly wings. And the entire thing was powered by water and fire.

The ship's head engineer, Squawk, ruffled a feathered hand over Spyro's frill when the ship became airborne. "You're a good soldier, Spyro. We couldn't have gotten this thing flying without you!"

"Ah, it was no problem." The dragon waved to the waves of breezebuilders who began loading the ship with ammunition, provisions, and birdpower. "So you're gonna take this thing out and dock it at Autumn Manor, right?"

"...Why would we take it to the Manor?"

"Oh, yeah, you're right - that'd be too obvious, Ripto would be onto us. Where do you suggest we dock it?"

Squawk gave a nervous look, grabbing his toolbox and preparing for a swift escape. "Uh...I dunno what you heard, Spyro, but we gotta take this ship into Zephyr. Those landblubbers poured into the harbor, so now we gotta strike back while the pan's still hot!" He took off, one of the last to board the ship before it left the harbor. "But hey, be patient! When we flatten Zephyr, we'll help you out with your Ripto friend, okay? Thanks again!"

So Spyro sat and watched the ship fly off into the night. Not on a journey of justice, as the young dragon had thought, but on a mission of vengeance. Ripto wasn't involved - those creatures he had been charging all night weren't Riptocs. The breezebuilders were attacking _other Avalari. _They didn't even know that a crazy dinosaur had taken over their realm!

The Artisan gave a frustrated snort before rushing towards the portal. The breezebuilders were heading to Zephyr? Then so was he.

oo00oo00oo

Moneybags stretched with a relaxed sigh. This had to be the best job he'd ever have. Hundreds of golden gears from the breezebuilders, and all he had to do was keep the portal to Zephyr closed? Ripto didn't even seem interested in either of the worlds - the sorcerer seemed more than content to let the blubbers and builders blow each other up.

No Ripto. No dragon. No hassle. Just a relaxing evening of babysitting a disabled portal.

...Or at least, that's what it looked like. Until he was forced to his feet by the scorch of hot steam. "Ouch! My goodness, what in the world do-"

The bear was scared speechless upon seeing the fire in Spyro's dark eyes. "Oh! Uhm...g-good afternoon, Sp-Sp-Spyro! H-How goes the-"

"Not now, Moneybags," Spyro snorted. "Is this the portal to Zephyr?"

"...W-What, this portal? Oh, why would you be interested in-"

"Open it. NOW."

Moneybags swallowed nervously, adjusting his top button. "O-Oh, I'm not sure if-if I can, Spyro! It, uh...y'know, requires a lot of...things that..."

_Ching! _The bear looked down to find a loosely-tied sack at his feet. Through the small opening, he could make out sparkles of red, green, blue, yellow, and violet. _Dragon treasure._

"I know you've been itching for some gems," Spyro said. "Fine, take 'em. I've got business to take care of in Zephyr. OPEN THE PORTAL."

Not wanting to stand in Spyro's way any longer, Moneybags jumped for the switch and re-activated the portal, watching the purple dragon rush inside. As soon as he was gone, the bear quickly counted the gems. There were _four-hundred _of them.

So he might have to put up with a few angry breezebuilders; at least he could put this towards his Lizard Burger joint in Skelos Badlands.

oo00oo00oo

"Alright, builders, at the ready!" Beaky commanded, trying to rally the chaotic forces aboard the SS Breeze. Zephyr was down below, with cannon-wielding landblubbers taking shots at every opportunity. Their bomber unit was already in the area, littering the battlefield with bombs and TNT while trying to hold down the Zephyr attacks. Their strike was postponed with the landblubber raid on the boilers, so all of the breezebuilders were relieved to see that their boys were still holding strong.

"Alright, steady the bombs! Prepare to fire in three! Two! O-"

Before the order could be finalized, the SS Breeze took a heavy hit to the hull, sending the ship spinning towards the Zephyr plains. "Commander, we've been hit!" Squawk cried, tumbling across the deck.

"Yes, Squawk, I can see that!" Beaky snapped, trying to scan the area for the sharp-shooter that hit them. (Landblubbers had notoriously-bad aim.)

The breezebuilders escaped just in time to avoid the fiery crash-landing, and Beaky was quick to approach the enemy lines. "Blub! You and your landblubbers have trashed our machines for the LAST time!"

"Why you gotta come over here 'n be yellin' at me?!" Blub snapped back. "You 'n yer dag-nabbed birds keep comin' inta OUR turf, blowin' up OUR b'ildin's, 'course we gon' blow yer fancy flight-a-ma-jig outta the sky!"

"HEY!" Just as Beaky went in for a blow, both leaders were forced to look up at the small dragon storming up to them. "Stand down, Beaky - _I'M _the one that knocked out your boat."

"Yee-haw!" Blub jumped. "Take THAT, bird-brain! We got the dragon on our side!" The landblubber gave a jump, though, as a sear of flame rushed across his hide. "Owowowow!"

"I'm not on anybody's SIDE," Spyro spat. "If I knew that warship was coming over here, I wouldn't have helped them fix it in the first place. I'm just making up for my mistake."

The dragon scraped against his stone platform with his claws, eyes dark with anger and frustration. "Seriously, what are you two THINKING? Don't you guys realize what's happening in Autumn Plains RIGHT NOW? All of Avalar is under attack! It's about to be taken over - something bigger than you, you, both of you. And you two are busy bombing EACH OTHER?! I don't even care what it's about; how DARE you two focus on this stupid fight when your ENTIRE REALM is in danger?!"

Beaky opened his mouth to retort, which only earned him a faceful of hot smoke. "No, shut up!" Spyro interrupted with a growl. "I don't want to hear it. ANY of it. From EITHER of you." The dragon kicked a fistful of dirt at the breezebuilder commander. "Take what's left of your boat, get your birds, and fly straight back to Breeze Harbor." He then nudged a horn towards the landblubber colonel, who jumped back in a fright. "You keep your buckets out of the harbor and focus on fixing this place up."

Spyro shook his head. "Both of you should be disgusted with yourselves. I'll at least be nice enough to help clean up Zephyr, but after that, I'm going back to doing something IMPORTANT. You two are just wasting life, resources, and my time. If I hear you two are at each other again while I'm here, I'll flatten BOTH of your portals. Is that clear?"

"Y-Y-Yessir..."

"I SAID, IS THAT CLEAR?!"

"SIR, YES, SIR!" With a squelch and a squawk, Beaky and Blub rushed to their corners, immediately enacting Spyro's ceasefire.

oo00oo00oo

As he promised when he first arrived to the war-torn fields of Zephyr, Spyro spent some time cleaning out the debris. (...Namely, breezebuilder bombers. Who would've guessed that landblubbers were such terrible shots?) After helping out a farmer by the name of lil' Bo find his cowlecks, all of which got scared and scattered from the bombings, Spyro eventually ran into the commander and colonel on his way towards the exit. "What do you two want?"

"Spyro, we want to, uh..." Beaky shyly bowed his beak. "Apologize."

"Yeah, Spyro, we didn't rec'anize what was goin' on out in da Plains," Blub added, pulling off his pot-hat and placing it over his chest. "Yer right, we shouldn't be pickin' on each other if trouble's brewin', an' we'd be mighty glad ta help ya once we get the harbor 'n Zephyr all fixed up."

Spyro gave the nervous leaders a soft smile. "Good to hear you two changed your tunes."

The dragon turned to leave once more, but was stopped yet again. This time, the bird and blubber each had a sparkling item in their hands - Beaky, a glass anchor, and Blub, a ruby bomb. "Look, we can't be a whole lot of help now, but we at least want you to have these," Beaky said.

"Yeah, if we ain' at each other's throats, we won't be needin' these bad boys," Blub agreed. "We want you ta take 'em 'n go fight the good fight out in the Plains fer us!"

Spyro gave them a nod as Sparx grabbed the pair of talismans and dropped them into the guidebook. "Well, thanks, guys! I'll do my best to save Autumn Plains for you. Just make sure you two keep at this peace treaty, okay?"

All three cringed to hear an explosion in the background, followed by the squawks of a newly-roasted breezebomber. "I, uh...think you'll need all the help you can get."

* * *

><p><em>Ah, Zephyr and Breeze Harbor. Annoying seeds and trouble with the trolley as far as the eye can see. Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed! :) Thanks for reading; see you next week!<em>

__**_§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §_**__


	23. Scowched Eawth

_Blah-blah, welcome back, blah-blah! Blah, witty banter, blah! Laughter, haha-blah! Blah-blah, on with the show, blah? Blah! (By the way, who told Lucky Ryuujin what area we were doing this week? D: Or do I need to start doing a contest on who can guess what level comes next?)_

**You found a disclaimer!**  
>Spyro the Dragon, both the game and all related characters (c) Insomniac. They own the Spyro that's in this story, so nyeh.<br>Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage / Gateway to Glimmer, as well as all related characters (c) blah-blah, same copyright.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: Scowched Eawth<strong>

_Greta's eyes darted across the plaza, anxiously searching for swordstocs that may have been guarding the area. With the resistance flags planted and reinforcements on the way, the twins had completed their mission. All that was left was to escape without being captured._

_"Alwight, Handel, I t'ink the coast is cwear," Greta whispered back to her brother. "On twee, we run fer it, 'kay?"_

_The blonde turned when she received no response. "...Handel?"_

_"Greta, lookit what I found!" The mini femme fatale found her other half sneaking up to the plaza, motioning towards a shiny cherry lolly. "And it's cherry, my favorite!"_

_"Handel, no, don't!" But it was too late; Handel had taken the bait. Unable to fight her brother's impending punishment, Greta leapt from the plaza, just as the swordstocs arrived to haul the captured Handel away, still dangling from the fake lolly on the fishing wire._

oo00oo00oo

Spyro frowned as he and Sparx circled the entryway of the Scorch castle. Normally, there would be a local nearby that he could interrogate on the situation - someone searching for help, unable to combat the riptocs and desperate for a hero. This time, though, there was nothing - a few guys with swords on camels, a pack of monkeys in the coconut trees...but no locals.

Until he felt one crash onto his back from above. "Oof!"

Greta flipped to her feet, quick to recognize the purple scales that had broken her fall. "Oh, hewwo there! You mus' be Spywo, the dwagon sent in to fight Wipto!"

Spyro stretched his wings to unflatten them before facing the young blonde. "Yeah, that'd be me. What were you doing up there, you could've gotten hurt!"

"Oh, no, I was fine," she reassured. "You were just in my landin' spot. Bad wuck on yer part. Sowwy."

Spyro looked up to the plaza where she had fallen from. "What were you doing up there, anyway?"

Greta looked about for listeners. Finding none, she leaned in close. "My bwother Handel 'n I are on a secwet mission to bwow up the cas'le 'n take out all'a Wipto's swordstocs. We posted da fwags to call in the weinfowcements, but duwing our getaway, Handel got caught, so I had ta wun."

The dragon bit back a laugh, suddenly brought back to the days when he and Sparx were pups, pretending to be gnorc-busters and setting up secret missions across Stone Hill. "Wow, sounds like you two are having an adventure."

Greta pouted. "I's not an adventure, we're on an impowtant super secwet spy mission!" Seeing how Spyro didn't believe her, the blonde went on her way. "Whatever, Spywo - jus' twy not ta get beat up by swordstocs on the way, okay?"

As he watched the young one walk off, Spyro ran a bit of math in his head. Did he miss the part where he was supposed to come in and save the day?

oo00oo00oo

Being careful to avoid the eyes of the guards, Greta slinked through the scattered shadows of Scorch, double-checking each of the checkpoints for crimson flags. They were still in place...for now.

Ducking under the bridge and crossing the moat hand-over-hand, the blonde breathed easy as she stepped into the plaza. "Well, that was easier than I-"

...Only to immediately be surrounded by several sharpened blades. "Spoke too soon."

"By order of our Grand Majesty Ripto, you are under arrest!" one of the swordstocs threatened. "Go quietly or we will be forced to take action!"

Greta gave a nod, acknowledging their request that she remain silent. The blonde took a deep breath, stepped forward to follow the guards into the castle, then leapt into the air, high above the heads of her attackers. Stunned and caught off-guard, the swordstocs could only watch as Greta drop-kicked the largest of their group, sending him tumbling. She caught his sword as she came down from her flip, then used the flat side of it to swing the second swordstoc into a column, knocking him unconscious.

The third took a swing at the nimble agent, allowing Greta to jump atop his blade and springboard her kick directly into his face. When the blonde turned her stolen sword to the final guard, he did what any reasonable riptoc would do - turned tail and ran, screaming like a sissy the entire way. Typical.

With a clear path into the castle in her sights, Greta made a mad dash for the door, narrowly sliding by before the gate slammed shut. Now all she had to do was find Handel and hope it wasn't too late!

oo00oo00oo

Spyro, meanwhile, was fairly clueless, still wandering the winding castle path in search of a day that needed to be saved. He found Hunter struggling against a pack of loose monkeys, but other than mildly conveniencing the staff at the Avalar Zoo, he had yet to find any real problems to be taken care of.

Indeed, all seemed too quiet. Until he found a crazy man with a carpet and a turban rushing to the flag-towers.

"LONG LIVE THE KINGDOM!" the flagkeeper cackled, filling the sandy dunes with his shrieking laugh as he tore away the crimson and gold flags that littered the area. "Say good-bye to your precious flags, resistance! Thou shalt feel the smiting wrath of Scorch!"

Spyro vaguely recalled the blonde in pigtails mentioning that the flags were important, so he rushed over to the tower. "HEY! Those flags aren't yours! Put that back!"

The flagkeeper looked down nervously; he didn't think his rebellion against the rebels would attract the attention of the evil dragon. "Oh, uhm..." Taking advantage of his altitude and speed, the flagkeeper rushed off. "You have to catch me first, dragon!"

Spyro couldn't help but smirk. An excuse to use the superflame powerup he found in the plaza? Definitely a good way to spend the afternoon.

oo00oo00oo

"Come ON, Handel, we gotta wun!"

"I'm running, I'm running!"

The newly-reunited twins rushed for the castle entrance as quickly as they could, using every kick, flip, and roll in their arsenal to avoid the riptocs that rushed their escape route.

Greta paused to catch her breath after forcing a pair of rocket-tocs to shoot each other into the walls. "You jus' HAD ta get kidnapped, didn'ya, Handel?"

Handel slid up ahead, pulling out his slingshot and blinding the rocket-toc hiding around the corner. "Look, I said sorry! If it makes you feel better, the lolly was strawberry the whole time!"

"No, that doesn't make me feew bettew!" Greta snapped, catching up to her twin. "You 'n I are gonna have a SEWIOUS talk with HQ when we get home!" Handel could only grumble; it was quite annoying, having to take orders from a girl that was two-and-a-half minutes younger than he was. She couldn't even SAY 'high-security clearance', but hers was higher-leveled.

The twins slid for the door, just barely tumbling out of the castle as its halls began to explode, bombs going off and filling the corridors with fire and smoke. Once out in the safety of the plaza, the twins shared a high-five. Mission 'accompwished'.

Spyro finally caught up with the twins a few moments later, having a hard time connecting them to the explosions taking place in the nearby castle. This mystery girl in the pigtails was quickly turning into another one of Avalar's quirks that he decided not to ask about.

With Spyro speechless, Greta decided to approach the dragon first. "Oh, hi again, Spywo!" She motioned to her twin. "This is my stuwpid bwother, Handel." ("Hey!") "I found him and we finished ouw mission."

"I can...see that."

The blonde dug into her brother's pockets, pulling out a golden scarab and handing it to the dragon hero. "You 'n Ewora 'r wookin' fer these tawismans, wight? Ta go fight Wipto? You c'n take this'un; Handel 'n I swiped it from the soldiers when they weren't wooking."

"Thanks," Spyro accepted flatly, deciding to give up on processing the events. Hearing a commotion beginning to stir in the plaza, he then offered, "Hey, you guys want to tag back to Autumn Plains? It might get kind of dangerous out here."

The twins looked at each other, sharing a quiet laugh. "No thanks, we're good," they answered in unison.

oo00oo00oo

_With Spyro gone, the talisman rescued, and the castle blown to pieces, it was finally time for the twins to enact the final part of their plan: finish off the swordstocs._

_All of the distractions that they had planted - the flags, the doors, the explosions, even the timely appearance of the dragon - all led to this moment, where the two were now staring down the remaining soldiers, all with their swords at the ready, waiting for them to make the first strike._

_Greta smiled, offering a hand to her brother. "You weady, Handel?" Handel nodded, taking his sister's hand._

_With their hands joined, the twins shared a long, deep breath. Confused, the leader of the swordstoc army stepped forward, blade pointed and braced for any funny business. Under strict orders to bring the twins back on a plate for Master Ripto, he wasn't about to let them so much as move without meeting his blade._

_Except that they didn't move. And his blade was a bit unnerved when it was suddenly staring down a pair of piercing red eyes._

_With bloodthirsty smiles, the twins wound up their unlinked arms, two bolts of dark, magical energies appearing in their hands. The army began to back away, but they couldn't move quickly enough. In a shattering blast of darkness, the swordstocs were tossed over the walls of the plaza, all left to drown in the acid moat that surrounded their precious castle. All sent spiraling to their deaths, immobilized by the fear that spouted from those cold, red eyes._

* * *

><p><em>God, Greta, such a little ball of bad-ass. XD Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed! Thanks for reading, see you next time! <em>

___**_§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §_**___


	24. The Floor is Lava

_Welcome back, dragonlets! :) Who's ready for a brand-new chapter of Autumn Plains fun? I sure am! So let's get the show on the road!  
><em>

**You found a disclaimer!**  
>Spyro the Dragon, both the game and all related characters (c) Insomniac. They own the Spyro that's in this story, so nyeh.<br>Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage / Gateway to Glimmer, as well as all related characters (c) blah-blah, same copyright.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: The Floor is Lava<strong>

_Loonie and Trottie stretched in the comfort of their shade, enjoying a few moments of quiet before the big party was about to start. Ever since Elora hinted that the dragon-hero would be visiting, the fauns had been working their tails off to make a spectacular celebration for his arrival into the cone._

SQUISH! _...Unfortunately, their party was getting trashed more and more by the second. Now the earthshapers had activated their volcano, which tended to be a huge downer on the party._

_Loonie scooted away from the lava-rock that was now crushing Trottie's body. He'd get help after a few more minutes of lava-bathing._

oo00oo00oo

Spyro frowned a bit as he and Sparx flew into Magma Cone. Elora had invited him to the volcanic hot-spot, welcoming him to take a night off and party with the fauns. (Or rather, her party-hearty cousins put her up to the story, as he later found out.) His faun host had mentioned that Magma Cone was home to endless parties and excitement, but it didn't look particularly exciting at the moment. Hulking beasts that Spyro guessed weren't fauns crawled from the depths of the earth and the lava, their rock-like bodies smashing through the smoggy fields that surrounded the explosive volcano.

However, the earthshapers weren't the only life around. As Spyro ducked to avoid the beasts (that he was quick to discover were flame-resistant and horn-proofed, which only pointed more fingers to a Ripto design), he spotted a small faun up in the wooden watch-towers. The faun caught his eye, then quietly pointed between the nearest earthshaper and a large X scratched into the ground.

Catching the gist of the plan, Spyro rushed in. The earthshaper spotted the dragon and wound up his mighty hammer, but the agile dragon easily ducked out of the way, beating the beast backwards with his horns. Spyro's charges didn't hurt the creatures, but it did nudge them back a step or two. Which added up to the earthshaper skidding onto the X.

The faun quickly pulled out a jackhammer, jumping onto the earthshaper's head and turning the machine on. Its motorized chisel smashed through the earthshaper's impenetrable skin, shattering the golem-like riptoc into a hundred pieces.

"Great job, Spyro!" Loonie cheered, hopping down from his post to properly greet the dragon. "Great ta see ya could make it to the party!"

"Doesn't look like much of a party," Spyro couldn't help but notice, noting the spilling lava and earthshapers around every corner.

Loonie nervously put a hand behind his head. "Well, we tried. It was goin' jus' fine 'til those earthshapers broke open our volcano. I's a little hard ta party when there's molten lava 'round the ring where we play musical chairs, ain' it?"

Spyro looked up to the mouth of the furious volcano, which continued to rain lava rocks down on the unsuspecting cone. He was really looking forward to the party, too. (Especially if Elora was being forced to attend and not stress out so much.)

"...You think I could get up there and shut that volcano back up?"

oo00oo00oo

Life wasn't all party-hats and lava-bathing in the Cone, though. There was also crystal popcorn to be collected. A local delicacy, only found in the depths of the volcano caves, crystal popcorn was a super-sweet hard candy - sugary minerals in the cave systems that get a blast of steam and compact into small shards of delicious. No Magma Cone party would be complete without it, and as soon as he heard, Spyro dove right into the caves to get some for himself. (...And the party. Of course.)

However, the dragon cringed to find a certain loud-mouthed cheetah already there, stretching and warming up for a race against the popcorn shards. "Hunter, what're you doing here?"

"Oh, there's a big party here today, so I'm helping to find the-" Hunter turned and found the dragon, not one of the local fauns. "...Oh. Hi, dragon."

"Wow, these fauns let just anyone walk into their parties, don't they?" Spyro teased, sliding across the slick cavern floor and up to where Hunter was waiting.

The cheetah frowned. He could've easily pointed out that Elora invited him and he was on the party-setup committee, but that may have spoiled the big surprise - whether Hunter liked it or not, the party was in Spyro's honor. "Look, don't you have the Plains to be saving? Or did you decide to give up after you let Ripto get away the first time?"

Spyro snorted a breath of hot smoke, an intimidation tactic that Hunter was beginning to get used to. "Hey, I didn't come down here to start trouble, okay? I just came down to help the fauns get some-"

_Plink! _Hunter and Spyro both looked up when the first piece of crystal popcorn rocketed out of its crevice, a blast of steam behind it as the burning vapor trailed off to another part of the glowing crack system in the floor. Both eager to outshine the other, both racers jumped for the popcorn, crashing at the crevice and allowing the sweet treat to crumble when it smashed against the ground.

The two got back to their feet, and similar glints appeared in their eyes as their competitive natures came up with the same idea:

"Wanna race for 'em?"

"First to ten wins."

"READYSETGO!" Both racers bolted to opposite sides of the cave, both shades of blue eyes darting along the lines of green minerals, watching for the tell-tale steam blasts to lead them to their prizes. Hunter finally spotted one and followed it, easily letting the popcorn drop into his paw as it came down from its rocket ascent.

"Hey, Spyro, got one!" Hunter teased, waving his prize.

Spyro, who had a freshly-fired popcorn in his mouth, gave a silent laugh before tracing a three in the air with his tail, then rushing off to the next geyser.

Realizing he needed to catch up, Hunter turned up the pace. He pounced from geyser to geyser, quickly racking up a line of popcorns. He paused to take count of his stash. Eight popcorns. Only two more, and-

"Ten! Got 'em!"

Spyro celebrated his victory by tossing the winning popcorn into the air, jumping up to catch it and snacking down on the sweet. "Oh, and victory has never been sweeter!" he purred.

The dragon looked up, though, when he heard Hunter's bag of popcorn hit the ground, and swallowed his prize quickly as he saw the disheartened cheetah move back towards the exit. "...Hunter? You alright?"

"No," Hunter was quick to spit. "Forget it, dragon, I'm just going to quit trying. You're too good at this, and I can't keep up. Fine, take the popcorn, get your big party, save Avalar, be the big hero. I won't get in your way anymore."

Spyro charged to catch up, sitting down in front of Hunter just shy of the entrance and stopping the cheetah in his tracks. "First off, the name's Spyro; I'll keep beating you at stuff all day until you get that through your head," he laughed.

Noting that Hunter wasn't laughing, instead trying to avoid the dragon's eye, Spyro gently knocked the cheetah onto his tail so he would listen. "Second off, what's your problem? All I'm trying to do is help, but you and I have had problems since the second I rolled into Glimmer. What did I do?"

"Nothing," Hunter argued. "That's it. No matter what you're doing or what happens, you're perfect. All of the locals love you, my best friend can't stop blabbing about you, you're faster than me, stronger than me..." The cheetah sighed. "You probably have no idea what it's like, dragon - having someone else show you up, people always thinking you're not good enough or that you can't do something."

"...Actually, I know _exactly _what that's like." Hunter's ears perked at the dragon's quiet admittance. "Hunter, really, think about it - do you think I was the first choice to save the Dragon Realms? No, of course not. The dragon elders think I'm just a kid. I can't fly, hate standing on my hind legs, freak out if I lose my dragonfly...Look, I'm the hero 'cause the bad guy _missed. _And you guys didn't get a choice in the matter, either, you just grabbed the first dragon you found. If the elders in the Dragon Realms heard you were having trouble, you know what I'd be doing? Babysitting the pups while the big guys take care of it."

The Artisan walked over to his rival, gently shoving his shoulder. "So you know what I did? Proved 'em all wrong. When the elders told me not to go somewhere 'cause it was too dangerous, it was the first place I went. So don't just sit and take it when Elora calls you names or when I happen to beat you in something - go out and do something amazing, give them a reason not to talk bad about you."

Spyro turned to return to his adventure, but not before giving Hunter a quick whip with his tail. "Point is, pussycat, quit feeling sorry for yourself and start showing people up."

He almost made it out of the caves, but stopped when a piece of crystal popcorn smashed into the back of his head. "Ow!" He whipped around, finding Hunter recollecting his bag. "What was that for?"

"Rematch," Hunter smirked. "First to fifteen."

oo00oo00oo

Spyro could hear his dragonfly's nervous swallows as the duo looked up at their challenge: climbing to the top of the volcano. The fauns had explained that there was a hatch at the top, specifically designed for this kind of party emergency, and from a distance, it seemed an easy feat.

Looking straight up from the bottom, though, the volcano looked much more intimidating.

"Should I go find the fauns and get a water-hose ready?" Sparx asked.

"Sparx, I'm a fire-dragon," Spyro reminded. "If I can't handle a volcano, the Peacekeepers didn't raise me right."

"Of course they didn't, you're an Artisan."

"Shut up."

Ignoring the worries of his dragonfly, Spyro hopped over to the base of the volcano and dug his claws into its crumbly side. The volcano was freshly-formed, meaning the newly-dried magma was loose, making for the perfect climbing board. All Spyro had to do was scale the side, one paw in front of the other in front of the other.

_WHOOSH! _The dragon slid a bit, scrambling to keep his clawhold as the volcano shook with another eruption. "Ugh, can't this volcano hold still for five minutes?" he tsked, resuming his slow ascent.

After regaining some ground, the volcano shook again. And Spyro looked up to find a lava rock plummeting straight for his head. In a moment of tizzy, the dragon jumped from the volcanoside, losing quite a bit of altitude as he glided to another part of the climb, away from where the rock was about to land, and scrambled to find a new clawhold.

Trying to pick up the pace, Spyro nearly charged his way to the top, stumbling frequently as his speed cost him accuracy and stability. When another lava rock shot from the skies, the dragon just barely found his grip and had no choice but to duck and brace himself for its attack.

The heavy rock rolled down the mountain, crushing Spyro's flattened wing and nearly dragging the dragon down with it. Spyro bit his tongue, immobilized by the immense pain in his most delicate joint, his wing muscles spazzing on their own accord and making the whole thing worse.

Sparx nudged Spyro the best he could, but a dragonfly could never be a match for the grip of a dragon's claws. "Spyro, come on! Move!"

"Give me a second!" Spyro hissed, flexing his aching wing.

"Spyro, rest the wing later! You don't have a second! MOVE!"

"Sparx, would you just-" Thanks to Sparx's nudging, Spyro managed to catch a glimpse of the latest lava rock and jump narrowly out of its roll down the volcanoside. "Uhm...thanks?"

"Thank me later, fire-boy," Sparx buzzed irritatedly, trying to shove Spyro up the mountain. "Come on, let's get out of here!"

After a few more close-calls, Spyro finally clawed his way to the top, ramming the hatch until it fell over the top of the volcano. With the lava flow cut off, a breeze finally cut through the smoggy air of Magma Cone, and Spyro could sit atop his accomplishment, looking down at the fantastic views below as he caught his breath and eased his wing. (It was a long glide down, after all.)

"We should climb volcanoes more often."

"Let's not and say we do."

oo00oo00oo

Finally, with the popcorn collected, the volcano shut down, the party-hats recovered, and the earthshapers smashed, the party could begin! Magma Cone immediately transformed from a volcanic base to a heated party. There was dancing, music, party favors, great food, and everyone was wearing a silly hat. How could it get any better?

...Alright, so Spyro may have had an idea.

"Yo, Hunter!" The cheetah looked up from his and Bippo's game of 'pin the horn on the Ripto'. "You see Elora anywhere? She said she'd be here."

"Any reason you're lookin' for her?" Hunter teased (quickly regretting it as his tail caught fire). "Okay, okay, no, I haven't seen her!"

"Oh, yer lookin' fer little 'Lora?" Bippo chimed in. "Didn't Loonie tell ya?"

"Tell me what?"

" 'Lora can't make it; 'parently, the earthshapers broke inta Fracture Hills, 'n she's makin' sure that they don' cause too much chaos up there." The Magma faun gave a shrug, returning to the game. "Don' worry 'bout 'em, they'll be fine. Might actually get those yo-yo-twirlin' faun gals off'a their hooves 'n doin' somethin' 'steada chasin' satyr tail all day."

Spyro shook his head slightly, shaking loose anything that might've been caught in his ears. "Did I hear that right? The earthshapers are attacking other fauns, and you're just _letting _them?"

"May as well. The Fracture fauns ain' been ta any'a our parties in ages."

Spyro gave a frustrated sigh as he rushed towards the portal, despite the protests of the fauns. When Elora mentioned the Autumn Plains locals not getting along, she wasn't kidding.

(But if he didn't earn hero points by ditching his own surprise party to rescue a damsel, nothing would.)

* * *

><p><em>Props to DJ Scales for getting close on the impromptu "guess where we're going next" contest. XD Anyway, who's ready to save some ladies next week? If you are, make sure to tune in next time for the next exciting chapter! Thanks for reading, guys; hope you enjoyed!<br>_

____**_§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §_**____


	25. Bagpipes

_Hi, dragonlets! No time for witty banter today, guys! We've got fauns to save! So let's get this show on the road!_

**You found a disclaimer!**  
>Spyro the Dragon, both the game and all related characters (c) Insomniac. They own the Spyro that's in this story, so nyeh.<br>Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage / Gateway to Glimmer, as well as all related characters (c) blah-blah, same copyright.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: Bagpipes<strong>

Night had fallen on the Fracture Hills by the time Spyro arrived. For a place supposedly ruled by earthshapers, the breezy hills were surprisingly quiet. Even the locals didn't seem bothered, as Spyro found a young faun-girl that was the spitting image of a black-furred Elora twirling a yo-yo, casually standing around near a strangely-intricate statue of a satyr with a bagpipe.

The faun waved when Spyro landed. "Oh, hey, dragon. You must be the big-shot from the Dragon Realms that my sister and the Professor dragged in." She smirked, giving him a casual lookover. "Huh. You're kind of cuter than I thought you'd be - 'specially for a quadraped."

"Thanks..." Spyro winced, eager to change THAT subject as soon as possible. "Uhm...are you guys under attack or anything? In trouble? Need rescuing? See a redhead faun running around anywhere?"

"Yes, not really, no, and yes," the faun tsked casually. "Yeah, the earthshapers showed up and they're not big on bagpipes, so they caged up all our boys 'n rocked up the temple. It happens, someone'll take care of it eventually." (Spyro gave an annoyed snort; he assumed she was referring to him.)

"Anyway, my brainiac sister's around here somewhere, doing something stupid," the faun continued. (At that moment, Spyro put together a few pieces and realized he was speaking to Elora's older sister, Lila.) "If you run around for a bit, you might find her. Provided the earthshapers haven't dug her up yet."

Spyro rushed off to do his hero-duty, but was quickly stopped by the faun yet again. "Hey, if you can find a way into the temple, let me know - I'd be glad ta give you the grand tour," she winked.

"Yeah, I'll...definitely let you know."

oo00oo00oo

Spyro was quick to deduce why only the boys of Fracture Hills were kidnapped by the earthshapers. (First off, the girls didn't seem interested in doing much more than playing with their yoyos, frequently complaining that doing anything else would be too bothersome or could potentially ruin their hooves.) The satyrs were a band of accomplished bagpipe players, and their catchy jingle was more than just a fun dance tune. As their playing circled through the Hills, Spyro watched as the earthshapers below cringed and moaned, bashing their hammers at the soundwaves.

He also watched as the music reached the stone fortress surrounding the temple crumbled away, piece by piece. Bagpipe music that can smash through stone? Only in Avalar.

However, that didn't help the Artisan clear the area any easier. He still had no way of taking out the earthshapers, resorting to shoving them into their own lava pools to deal with the unstoppable creatures. Which proved to be trouble when the dragon found himself backed into a corner, up against a team of earthshapers and nowhere to push them.

Spyro kept rolling and dodging from the hefty hammer blows the best he could (still trying to revigorate his tail, which was recently squashed by a mistimed charge into the earthshaper's range), mind racing to find an escape. But charges didn't do it, and neither did a flame. He couldn't run forever, he'd need a way to knock these things down!

_Thunk! _The earthshaper suddenly toppled backwards, stunned and unbalanced by the arrow now stuck between its eyes. After a few dazed moments, the beast began to squirm, wriggling like a flipped turtle to regain his footing.

There, Spyro saw his opportunity. Suddenly able to gain a height advantage, the dragon jumped up onto the clunky beast's stomach, then jumped again. He rolled into a front-flip midair, smashing his horns straight down into the rocky beast. With gravity supplying the extra oomph to his attack, the earthshaper crumbled under the mighty strike.

Spyro shook his head (he was still new to the art of headbashing), then got a closer look at the arrow that aided his comeback. It was sharp and well-made, a craftsmanship one rarely saw in the Dragon Realms.

He went to pick up the leftover weapon, but ended up ducking as another rushed between his horns, striking an earthshaper that was about to charge. Seeing another window, Spyro rushed over and repeated the finishing blow. "Seriously, where do these arrows keep coming from?"

_Thunk! _Spyro winced at the loud crash of another earthshaper nearby being felled, likely by another well-aimed arrow. "How about we smash some earthshapers now and you ask questions later?"

oo00oo00oo

Within minutes, Spyro and Hunter had cleared out the earthshapers, giving the duo a moment to catch their breath and allowing the cheetah to reclaim his arrows. "Funny, you'd think those earthshapers would be tougher than they look," he laughed.

"Hunter, that was AWESOME!" Spyro congratulated. "Man, why didn't you mention you had bow skills like that?"

Surprised, Hunter looked back at his old rival. "Really? You're impressed?"

The dragon gave a scoff. "More than impressed, I owe ya one. I couldn't have taken out those earthshapers by myself."

The cheetah gave a cocky shrug. "Eh, you know - all part of the hero thing."

Spyro gave a laugh, laying down as his tail flicked about, the flattened muscle working itself out. "Y'know, I can't believe I'm the one to say it, but...we make a pretty good team."

Hunter couldn't help but smile. "You know what? Yeah, we do." With his arrows collected, he took a seat on the stone ledge next to his rival. "Maybe you're not so bad after all, Spyro."

"Since you learned my name, I take it you're not mad anymore?"

"I...guess not?"

"Good, one less problem I have to deal with before I get out of here." Offering the only peace sign he knew, Spyro sat up slightly and gave Hunter a salute. "Friends?"

Hunter returned the gesture. "Yeah, why not? 'Til I have to kick your tail on the Metro Speedway, anyway."

"Oh, is THAT the way it's gonna be?"

"Hey, look, you got lucky in Summer Forest! Next time, the racing crown's all mine!"

Spyro went to continue the argument, but both of them paused and looked up when the sound of angry earthshapers rattled the area.

"...Y'know, maybe we should go deal with them and talk racing later."

"That...sounds like a plan."

oo00oo00oo

With the help of Hunter and the satyrs, Spyro cleared the earthshapers out of Fracture Hills, freeing the boys to play their bagpipes and the girls to...continue twirling their yo-yos and pretend nothing was wrong. (Spyro was starting to understand why Elora had moved to the Summer Forest after his night in the Hills.)

They finally found Elora by the temples, but rather than return to Magma Cone, the newly-formed trio decided to spend the rest of their night in the Hills, watching the pigs get up and dance to the enchanted bagpipes and enjoying a few hours of peace. They had earned two talismans (both presents from the fauns, thanking Spyro for all of his work in preparing the party in Magma Cone and restoring music to the Fracture Hills) and several orbs over the day; everyone agreed that they deserved a break.

"I'm glad to see you two aren't at each other's throats anymore," Elora smiled, noting the sudden kinship between dragon and cheetah.

"I'm just glad to see that you're alright," Spyro returned. "You had me worried when the Magma fauns said that you were running around with these earthshapers around. Don't do anything else like that, okay?"

The faun curled up, resting her arms on her knees and hiding her face to disguise the blush on her cheeks. "Alright, I'll try not to. But I don't think it's fair that you get to run into dangerous things all the time, and I get busted for doing it once."

"To be fair, Elora, you yell at me for doing dumb stuff all the time," Hunter argued.

"If I don't do it, who else will?" Spyro couldn't help but snicker as the cheetah was lost for a witty comeback, as usual.

As the dragon shut his eyes to stretch his back, Hunter made a few pointing gestures between him, Elora, and the bagpipe players. After a few points, Elora figured out his charade and shook her head with a snappy 'no'. Hunter threw up his hands in an exasperated 'oh, come on!', exaggerating his gestures to re-emphasize his point. Elora slashed a hand in Hunter's direction, urging him to stop and be quiet.

...And nervously moved that hand behind her head when Spyro looked up in confusion. With all eyes on her, Hunter gave her an encouraging look and gesture that went unseen by the dragon in question.

Elora gave a nervous sigh. "Spyro, would you...uh...like to...y'know..."

With the bagpipes so close, the blank was easy to fill. "Dance?" The dragon shook his head. "Nah, I'm not much of a-"

Spyro jumped as he felt a dragonfly tug on his horns, forcing him onto his feet. "Oh, don't be a jerk!" Sparx buzzed, loud enough to hurt his dragon's ears without being heard. "Go dance with the girl!"

If there's one weakness of the dragons, it's their inability to argue with their dragonflies. So Spyro was forced to swallow his pride and give Elora a polite nod, offering his horns to help her to her feet. "On second thought, sure, let's go."

It was a disaster of comedic proportions for anyone watching. Ignoring the logistics of a biped dancing with a quadraped, Elora proved to be surprisingly-clumsy on her hooves, and the quick-footed Spyro suffered from a crippling lack of rhythm. The two looked ridiculous, but could laugh it all away, enjoying the night regardless. (Spyro even spent a few songs on his hind legs, nearly reaching Elora's height and doing his best to twirl her around the glade.)

Sparx took a seat on Hunter's head as the two sat back and watched the show. "Young love at its finest," the cheetah laughed, having gone through more than enough girls (one of which being Elora, though he wasn't planning on telling Spyro that) to recognize the signs of a blossoming relationship.

Sparx gave a chuckle of his own. "Yeah. If only Spyro's skull wasn't so thick, maybe he could get his head around the idea of girls."

* * *

><p><em>Aw, young love. XD Another two talismans down! Where will our mighty dragon's adventures take us next? Find out next time on <em>Legacy! _Thanks for reading, guys! Hope you enjoyed! :)_

_____**_§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §_**_____


	26. Gulp's Outlook

_Hello, dragonlets! Mayflower here, clearly not forgetting that today was update day! :D; Hey, look, boss fight, let's get on with the show! _

**You found a disclaimer!**  
>Spyro the Dragon, both the game and all related characters (c) Insomniac. They own the Spyro that's in this story, so nyeh.<br>Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage / Gateway to Glimmer, as well as all related characters (c) blah-blah, same copyright.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: Gulp's Outlook<strong>

Elora couldn't help but pace nervously. She hadn't seen Spyro since the party in Fracture Hills, and now she had news from the fairies that Zoe had been kidnapped by Ripto, who was hiding out in the throne room with Gulp at this exact moment! Where on earth is a dragon when you need one?

Luckily, her prayers were quickly answered when Spyro slid around the corner, an ornate lamp dangling from his jaw as he rushed over. It was the Mystic Lamp, the fourteenth Avalari talisman. "Wookin' fer dis?" Spyro slurred, speech impaired by the talisman in his teeth.

Before Elora could react, the Lamp vanished into the guidebook, which emerged from its hiding place in the safe hands of Sparx and shot towards the door. Lighting up with a flash, the sudden burst of magical energy blew open the door that Ripto had enchanted shut; the door leading to the upper corridors, where he and Gulp were currently calling home.

"Alright, time to end this!" Spyro said, scratching his claws against the marble once for good measure before heading through the newly-opened passage.

"Spyro, wait!" Elora bit her lip nervously as Spyro turned in response to her halt. "Uhm...just...good luck in there, okay? And be careful?"

The dragon laughed. "You worry too much, Elora. Relax, I'll be fine. Ripto didn't get me last time, he won't get me this time."

Still, the faun couldn't help but feel a heavy heart as she watched Spyro rush into the dark corridor. He was so confident, so sure of himself and his abilities - through attitude alone, he could take on the world. And what was she? A faun, barely able to twirl a yoyo like her sister and friends in the Fracture Hills, relying on a dragon from another part of the world to save her home.

That's when inspiration struck, and Elora finally decided that she was going to start taking action in this fight. And she knew just the pterodactyls for the job.

oo00oo00oo

Ripto cackled to himself as he approached the Autumn throne room, wriggling prisoner in hand. With the Autumn Plains homeworlds at war amongst themselves, his takeover was easy. Wizards occupied the Glacier, lizards in the Badlands, swordstocs in Scorch, Earthshapers in the Hills and the Cone...add that with the birdblubber war between Zephyr and the Harbor and the thief infestation of Shady Oasis, and the Plains didn't stand a chance. With the war-torn mess as his new base, conquering the rest of Avalar would be a piece of cake!

"Oh, Gulp?" Noting his master's arrival, the green beast spun around with a growl. "You've been a very good boy, Gulp!" Ripto applauded. He held out the small fairy thrashing to escape his grasp. "I think you've earned a special treat!"

"I'm a fairy, not dino-chow!" Zoe protested, smashing at Ripto's hand as hard as she could. "Now let me go!"

"I don't think so, fairy!" Ripto laughed. "You've been a pain in my tail for too long now! I'll show you and that goat and that dragon who REALLY rules Avalar now!"

The sorcerer held out the fairy, but Gulp's attention was diverted elsewhere. (Gulp was much too distracted by the purple dragon making funny faces behind his master.) "Gulp? Gulp, the fairy's right here! What are you looking a-AAUGH!"

Ripto dropped Zoe as the scorching heat and pain struck his back, flailing as he ran behind Gulp's girth for protection and allowing the captive fairy to fly off. Spyro couldn't help but laugh (especially after Zoe gave Gulp a zap on the head for snapping at her). "What's the matter, Ripto? Wasn't expecting us this time?"

Although plenty frustrated with the dragon's meddling, Ripto had a matter much more pressing to bother him: the black scorch marks on his cape. "Dragon, you SINGED my CAPE! AUGH! You are _really _starting to get on my last nerve!"

With a blast of his magic, Ripto tossed Spyro into the lower arena. "Say good-bye, flame-breath! We're going to end this once and for all!" The sorcerer then turned to his bulky minion. "Gulp? Lunchtime!"

Hearing the call of food, Gulp rushed into the center arena, shaking the entire castle as he crashed to the ground with a mighty roar.

At first, the beast tried the obvious approach of just chasing the dragon around the arena, but similar to his comrade before him, Spyro could easily outrun the monster. It wasn't the Artisan's first go-around with something big, green and ugly that had twice his size and half his brain, and he guessed it wouldn't be the last. "What's the matter, Gulp? Can't keep up either?"

Expecting this fight to be just as simple as his clash with Crush, Spyro was a bit surprised when Gulp decided to diverge from the chase and ran to the center of the room. And couldn't help but be warily curious about the lasers on Gulp's sides that he only noticed when they surged and moved into position. And struggled greatly to avoid the sudden bolts of static energy that rained from the sky, only having a split-second to find their shadows and anticipate the attack.

Shaken, yes, but the dragon kept on a tough face. "Oh, is that the best you can do? Come on, I could dodge those all day! Come up with something clever, huh?"

_Caw! Caw! Caw! _Gulp and Spyro both looked up at the sudden invasion of Badlands pterodactyls, which dropped a trio of blue eggs onto the battlefield. Spyro took a few steps back, not sure how welcome a sudden attack of lava lizards would be mid-fight. Gulp, however, approached the egg. The shell fell away to reveal a small bomb, which Gulp inevitably mistook for food and swallowed in one bite.

Still confounded by the appearance of the pterodactyls, Spyro was nearly struck by Gulp's sudden explosion, as the bomb went off and sent out a line of fireballs. The dragon cursed, clumsily tumbling out of the way of the attack; as if Gulp weren't sturdy enough, Ripto had called in his birds to make Gulp more powerful. Indeed, more eggs were brought in every few moments, and Spyro watched as the battlefield became dotted with bombs, barrels, and rockets - all sure to be deadly weapons in Gulp's incapable paws.

Thrown from his feet by the fireballs, Spyro scurried to avoid the second round of laser-blasts. However, he simply wasn't fast enough, and convulsed in pain as one struck down, sending an electric shock of magic through his legs and wings. It paralyzed him before tossing him down the arena, giving him only a second to stumble out of the way as Gulp leapt into the air, crashing his mighty bulk down in hopes of crushing his draconic foe.

However, though the jump missed Spyro, it did shake loose one of the eggs dropped by the pterodactyl. This shell fell away to reveal a small, bouncing chicken, which realized where it had been hatched and immediately ran in circles shrieking.

_Dragon fodder. _Suddenly, it all made sense; the eggs weren't for Gulp. They were for HIM.

oo00oo00oo

The titanic battle was long and arduous. Spyro's legs and wings ached from being overcharged with Gulp's magical electricity, and his horns felt warped from bashing around the science barrels into Gulp's face. Ripto's pet, however, showed little signs of slowing (and even seemed to perk up after stealing one of Spyro's chickens, which didn't bode well for his grassy-green dragonfly). Gulp's cannons seemed to fire indefinitely, and it didn't help that he continually mistook the pterodactyls' aid for food, making Spyro's job inherently more difficult by the virtue of his own stupidity.

The dragon's eyes darted around the arena, trying to find something that could turn the tides. He needed something to help him out, something to light a fire under his tail.

Then he spotted it: instead of lighting a fire under his tail, why not under Gulp's?

Dodging another round of laser-fire, Spyro rammed another barrel into his opponent's face, which mildly distracted and irritated the brute, just long enough for Spyro to rush around and circle the few bombs that still scattered the field. Gulp gave a shake and a groan as he recovered from the attack, roaring as his lasers began to charge for another barrage.

He stopped, though, when suddenly surrounded by a series of hissing noises. And stopped to sniff at the black sparkly ball that the dragon had just pushed in front of him.

"Hey, Gulp? Lunchtime!"

All of the bombs went off at once, sending Gulp skyrocketing, much higher than any creature his size should be allowed to go. The brute went flipping through the air, leaving a dent in the floor and shaking Autumn Manor to its core as he landed with a titanic _THUD._

Ripto gave a squeal, nearly falling off of his throne from the aftershock. "Gulp, you idiot, be more careful! Now get up and smash this dragon into pieces!"

Spyro looked about nervously. He was in no condition to go any more rounds with Gulp; after all of those electric blasts, his legs were getting slower and slower, to the point where he might not be able to dodge the fight much longer. He was tired and starting to lose his orientation, and those would only get worse as things dragged on. The pterodactyls were so focused on providing ammunition that their fodder provisions were low - Gulp would only get stronger while he had no fuel to run on.

There was no option: this ended _now._

Rushing to strike before Gulp or Ripto could react, Spyro grabbed one of the spare rockets and fired it straight for Ripto's throne. The elaborate chair shook from its hold, falling backwards and toppling from the highest window...and taking the screaming sorcerer with it. Spyro and Sparx both winced as they heard the deafening crash on the ground below.

Finally, the almighty Ripto had been defeated.

oo00oo00oo

Spyro made his way back outside, almost a little saddened to think that his adventures in Avalar were over. As soon as he returned to the main chambers, he was met by a crushing faun-hug. "Spyro, you did it!" Elora cheered. "A bunch of us were outside, and we all saw Ripto take that huge fall. There's no WAY he's getting up from that!"

"A simple thank-you would do it," Spyro laughed, wriggling to escape the death-hug.

"Spyro, a thank-you wouldn't cover it in a million years. Autumn Plains is totally Ripto-free now, and...well, since you've come around...the locals are getting along now, better than they have in ages! It's amazing how much you've done for Avalar in the short time you've been here."

"Not short enough," Sparx buzzed, earning him a swift swipe from Spyro. "What? I'm just saying! Come on, I wanna hit the beach! Which way to Dragon Shores?"

"Now that Ripto's out of the way, the Professor and I can start working on the super-portal to send you guys home," Elora said, trying to mask the melancholy in her voice. If it were up to her, they'd never leave, but she had to remember that this DID ruin their vacation. "You guys should be in Dragon Shores by tomorrow."

"But that doesn't mean you can't start your vacation early!" Dragon and dragonfly both looked up to find Zoe and a few fairy friends, carrying a beach chair and umbrella, which they set up outside the castle.

Spyro had to laugh at the makeshift set-up. "You guys are kidding, right?"

"It was the best we could do," Elora shrugged shyly. "You've done all this stuff for us, even though we ruined your vacation, so we decided to try and do something nice to make it up to you. I-It's not much, but...do you like it?"

The Artisan tested the beach-chair with his paw, finally realizing how long he had been on his feet when he sat and stretched his paws. As much as the young dragon loved charging around, the occasional break was always welcome. He shot Elora a smile. "Yeah, this is great! Thanks!"

An awkward moment of silence passed as Spyro got comfortable, so the Artisan spoke up. "Uhm...do you...want to join me?"

Elora bit her lip, heart skipping a beat at the idea of getting to spend a Ripto-free afternoon with their heroic dragon. But the longer she stayed from the Tundra, the longer it would take to fix the super-portal. "I, uh...I'd really like to, Spyro, but...the Professor needs me in Winter Tundra. We've...gotta get you to Dragon Shores, right? I'm sure you miss the Dragon Realms and can't wait to get home."

Spyro closed his eyes to keep from rolling them. "Oh, right. Sounds like exciting work." With a stretch and a yawn, Spyro curled up his tail and put his head on his paws. "Alright, you go do that. I'll be here, soaking up a few rays." Although he didn't see her smile, he could hear her hooves trotting off through the Plains.

Typical Elora. Now that Ripto was gone, there was no need to kiss up to the dragon-hero; he had done his duty, and now the Avalari were going to ship him out and have nothing to do with him. And honestly? Dragon Shores was the _last _thing on his mind during the adventure. Why would he be so eager to return to the Dragon Realms when there was so much excitement to be had right here in Avalar? He had only left because of the rain; if he avoided the storm-system in Hurricos, Dragon Shores was no better an escape than Summer Forest.

Up until now, Spyro had been brushing it off, but now the Artisan's temper was truly agitated. He had saved Avalar from the Ripto menace - TWICE. He had as much right to be there as anyone else, and if they had a problem with it, they'd have to bring in something even scarier to torch _him _out of town. With a frustrated shake of his head, the dragon hopped to his feet and ran off. He had to find Elora and follow her to the Tundra if he was going to settle this.

oo00oo00oo

"If my coordinates are correct, I think the superportal can reach the Dragon Realms now." The Professor adjusted his glasses, looking up to ensure that the glimmering ruby at the portal's keystone was in place. "This power crystal we got from Glimmer should give us the boost we need to safely connect into Dragon Shores. We'll need to track down a few more orbs for energy, but I think we can get this thing running!"

Before Hunter or Elora could offer their congratulations, all three turned to watch the metal sphere bounce into their circle. And before any of them could identify it, the fuse ran out, causing the bomb to explode, which scattered the orbs and sent the Avalari reeling.

Ripto laughed, juggling another bomb in his hand as he approached the dizzied locals. "Did you REALLY think you had gotten rid of me that easily?"

Hunter, the first to recover from the blast, bit his lip. "Uh...yeah, we kind of did."

"Well, you didn't!" He sneered. "And that fat bear of yours was kind enough to sell me a few bombs for a bag of dragon treasure, so I'll be taking this castle of yours!"

Elora's concerns laid more at the top of the portal than the crumbling Winter Palace. "Professor," she hissed, "can you shut down the pow-?"

"Quit your whispering, goat-girl!" Ripto snapped, holding out the bomb threateningly. "Unless you want ol' book-boy there to be the world's smartest pile of _ashes_!"

The sorcerer shoved the portal, knocking the crystal loose and dropping it into his free hand. "If you all recall, my idiot assistant Gulp ATE my last sceptre, so I've been shopping for a new one." He paused to examine the gem, admiring his fractal reflection in its edges. "And I think this is JUST what I need to make one!"

In a panic, Elora turned to Hunter. "Hunter, quick, do something!"

Realizing that his moment had arrived, the cheetah jumped to his feet. "HEY! You...give that back!"

Ripto ignored the threat and simply climbed up to the head of the Palace. Elora gave Hunter the dirtiest glare she could muster. "Really? That was the best you could do?"

Hunter shrugged. "I tried, didn't I?"

"Forget it, Avalari!" Ripto taunted. "Once my sceptre's complete, you'll be powerless to stop me! I'm going to destroy every one of you, then name this place RIPTONIA!"

Everyone's heart sank as the sorcerer rushed inside the Palace, watching the Avalari flags be stripped once again in favor of Ripto's sneering face. Were they EVER going to be rid of him? Or was Avalar simply doomed to become Riptonia?

* * *

><p><em>Yeah, sorry, couldn't fish for much to do in the Shady Oasis. Anyone who's disappointed is requested to get over it, 'cause the next chapter's not gonna be friendly for ya. :( Anyway, thanks for reading, guys! Hope you enjoyed, remember to check out my profile and all the cool stuff over there, and I'll see you next week!<br>_

______**_§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §_**______


	27. Ripto's Tundra

_We're sorry, but your usual friendly opening is being foregone because the author of this story needs to prepare one hell of an apology for the readers, to be found at the end of this chapter. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy the show. :)  
><em>

**You found a disclaimer!**  
>Spyro the Dragon, both the game and all related characters (c) Insomniac. They own the Spyro that's in this story, so nyeh.<br>Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage / Gateway to Glimmer, as well as all related characters (c) blah-blah, same copyright.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN: Ripto's Tundra<strong>

Elora paced nervously by the clock tower that stood at the entrance to Winter Tundra, fervently scanning the skies for any sign of an incoming dragon. They needed Spyro to get into Winter Palace, and they needed him sooner rather than later. Where is a dragon when you need one?!

Finally, after what felt like an eternity to the watch-faun, Spyro soared into the Tundra, landing by the clock tower when he spotted his target: "Elora/Spyro, we need to talk!" they started simultaneously.

Elora quickly recoiled, noticing the bite in Spyro's voice. "Oh! Uhm...y-you go first."

Spyro, on the other hand, backed off when he noticed the panic on Elora's face. "No, no, forget it - what's wrong?"

Elora gave a sharp, nervous sigh. "Ripto's still alive."

She explained the whole story, from coming in and fixing the super-portal to Ripto's invasion to the stolen power crystal...and ending with pleading eyes as she mentioned that they would need to find the missing orbs to crack the super-charged magic seal on the door. "So you need me to go play hero one more time," Spyro summed up with a laugh.

"I'm sorry, Spyro," Elora apologized. "I hate to keep dragging you back into this-"

"Don't apologize," the Artisan interrupted, turning towards the Palace. "This is just me finishing the job."

Before Spyro could run off, though, Elora stopped him. "Hey, Spyro! Did you...need to talk about something?"

"...Forget it, this is more important right now."

oo00oo00oo

The Winter Tundra was the least-inhabited of the Avalar lands. Most of its locals were robots that could handle the cold, as well as scholars who came to study at this crossroads between ancient magic and new-age technology (like the Professor, who called the snowy lands home). The Tundra held no talismans, as there wasn't nearly enough demand for them in the lonely mountains, but according to Zoe, the fairies hid several of the orbs in the area, dropping them off quickly in the homeworld to prevent the risk of running into Crush or Gulp at the portals to the Summer Forest and Autumn Plains.

First, they had to track down the Professor, who was studying ancient scrolls in the Mystic Marsh, trying to find ways of defeating the power-crystal that was now on Ripto's side. (And Spyro cringed to see that the magic of the Water Wizards was eerily Dream Weaver-like.) However, before the dragon could leave the Marsh, the Professor needed his help in the most urgent of missions: finding his pencil. So Spyro spent the afternoon putting eggs back in nests, planting seeds, returning missing baby ducks, boiling turnips, and flipping coins into wishing wells to hunt down the missing pencil. Truly hero work at its finest.

With his pencil returned, the Professor suggested that Spyro visit the Cloud Temples, a magical place that would surely be able to assist in breaking open the seal. So the young dragon spent the better part of the day chasing fire imps and nearly being knocked off of the floating islands by territorial rams. No closer on breaking the seal, apart from finding a set of orbs, but at least he beat Ripto's apprentices out and gave the Avalari magicians their wands back.

With only a handful of orbs left to find, it brought Spyro into the robotic areas of Winter Tundra, which were thankfully less...shocking than his previous experiences with machines and electricity. Ripto had unleashed a swarm of mechanical bugs onto Robotica Farms (not that they stood much chance against a dragon), and an invasion of space cows and sheep saucers had taken over Metropolis. (Spyro questioned them once, but a sullen Hunter simply said that it was a long story. The Artisan decided not to press the matter further than that.)

And though they couldn't let Elora find out they were sneaking off, Hunter and Spyro slipped Moneybags a bag of gems to pop open the Canyon Speedway.

Finally, after lots of needless exploring, Spyro finally tracked down the sixty-four orbs that were scattered at Ripto's arrival so very long ago, and when brought back together, their magic blew down the door to the Winter Palace.

Finally, it was time to fight Ripto.

oo00oo00oo

Ripto gave his new sceptre, namely the power crystal at its head, one last polish and twirl before turning to the terrified sheep that stood in front of him. The magical staff was fully constructed, but needed to be tested before he could go after his enemies - namely, the dragon. He raised the sceptre high, charging it with magical energies, then fired a fiery bolt down, one hot enough to even scorch the troublesome fire-dragon.

However, Ripto underestimated his targets. Sheep are outfitted with the most amazing reflexes, their only form of defense against their natural predator, the almighty dragon. All three pranced away at the last second, all untouched by the attack. The sorcerer gave a frustrated growl. "Get back here, you useless animals!"

"Hey, shorty!" Steam nearly blew from Ripto's nose as he turned to find a purple dragon standing behind him, touching down from his glide and tensing his legs for the fight. "Sheep aren't great for target practice; that's a waste of fodder. Want me to help you out instead?"

For a moment, Ripto was speechless from blind and utter rage. "W-W-W-WHAT?! You AGAIN?! Dragon, how many times do I have to try and kill you?!"

"The last guy who tried tapped out after six," Spyro smirked. "Hey, if you want to test out that power crystal, why not try it on me?" He scratched his claws against the marble arena, taunting Ripto into battle. "Come on, I'll stand still - promise."

Ripto pondered it for a moment, then slowly broke into a menacing laugh. "I like that idea. Alright, dragon, you've just sealed your fate!"

The sorcerer charged up another fire blast, aiming it straight for Spyro. Keeping true to his word, the dragon held his ground...but he did manage to duck under the attack. "Sorry, Ripto, you missed!" he laughed, rushing into the fight. "You got your free shot! My turn!"

Ripto gave a yelp, stumbling out of the way of Spyro's charge and firing another scorching projectile. "Fine, I don't need you to hold still! I can hit you regardless!" The sorcerer fired a few more shots, barely scraping Spyro's underside as he rolled out of the way of one of them, only to tumble out of the way himself when he got tackled by the dragon's horns.

The tussle continued, a close back-and-forth...until an orb suddenly bounced between the adversaries, ceasing the battle. And not a normal orb, mind you - this one was a deep blue, rather than the orbs' typical emerald green. Rather than pay mind to the all-powerful artifact in their arena, both battlers instead looked around, trying to find where it had come from.

The answer was Hunter, who was circling up above and gave a nervous wave when both parties spotted him. "Oh, uh...hey, guys! How's it, uh...how's it goin'?"

Ripto fired a blast into the skies, forcing Hunter to veer off-course and crash to the nearby ground. "Go back to chasing your tail, pussycat!" he snapped. "I'll deal with you and the goat and the old man later!"

The sorcerer turned back to the battle at hand, only to be nearly-flattened by a sudden dragon-tackle. He stumbled to his feet, and was immediately blown over again. Ripto could hardly keep track of his opponent, who was blazing around in a cloud of smoke. "DRAGON, HOLD STILL!"

Spyro rounded the arena with a laugh, aimed for supercharge number three, but on the third time around, Ripto was ready. He used his sceptre as a trip-wire, forcing the dragon into a high-speed tumble and ruining his power-up momentum. "Oof!"

Ripto dusted off his cloak, spying another orb nearby, this one a glittering red. Finally, it made sense. "So the old man's powering up the orbs, is he?" The sorcerer gave a laugh, grabbing the orb before Spyro could reach him. "Well, then! Two can play at that game!"

Spyro slid to a stop as he watched Ripto grab the orb, and couldn't jump out of the way as Ripto swung his sceptre, sending a flaming shockwave across the arena, leaving a newly-blackened dragon to tumble out of the way once more. The Artisan eventually rolled to his feet, shaking off the damage. "Alright, shorty, then game on!"

So the war continued, orb magic against orb magic. The two sides battled it out, magic against magic, until finally, Ripto stopped the running and chasing to catch his breath. Being respectful, Spyro slid to a stop alongside him. "What's the matter, shorty? Can't run on those stubby legs of yours?"

Death burned in Ripto's eyes. "No, I've just decided that I've let you live long enough!" The sorcerer waved his sceptre in a frantic circle, lighting up the arena with a reddish glow. "You've been lucky so far, dragon, but I'm going to end that streak right now!"

Spyro could only brace himself as the stone arena began to shake, and the reddish light broke into a fiery portal, from which climbed a gargantuan beast. Its metal limbs creaked as it entered the fray, giving a familiar roar as it turned to face its meal.

A robotic Gulp.

While Spyro processed this new attack, Ripto scurried up onto his contraption's back. "Alright, Gulp! Let's see if those robotic lessons I picked up in Metropolis make you any better at dragon-hunting!"

The Artisan scoffed. "Come on, Ripto, I already beat Gulp once! You really think that hunk of junk's gonna keep up with-OW!"

Spyro's taunt was interrupted as Ripto shot him down with a fireball. From the much-higher vantage point, Ripto had much better aim of his draconic foe. Spyro still rushed for the orbs (a feat that became much more difficult, as Mecha-Gulp took up so much of the arena, his size alone allowed him to outrun the small dragon), but found his dodges getting more and more difficult as he had to get closer and closer to the mecha-menace to avoid Ripto's blasts.

Finally, after a heated blast of fire blasts from a super-charged Spyro, the Mecha-Gulp took its final blow. The mecha-monstrosity exploded, sending Ripto tumbling and sending a series of cracks through their marble arena. "DRAGON!" the sorcerer fumed. "That is IT! That is the LAST STRAW!"

Ripto waved his sceptre at the pieces of Mecha-Gulp, levitating them and morphing them into a new creation. The pieces melded into a magnificent bird, which became Ripto's new ride as he hopped onto its back and forced it to the skies. "I've been watching you, dragon, and if I've learned anything, it's that you can't fly!"

Spyro snorted, watching Ripto circle the arena. He hated when baddies were right. "Yeah, and you're a coward! Get down here and fight me like the short, scared dino you are!" Instead, Ripto fired fireball after fireball at the fissured arena, shots that were all more than easy enough to dodge.

...Because Ripto's target wasn't Spyro, as the Artisan realized after nearly falling through the crack in the floor, which Ripto's magic was quickly filling with lava. Realizing the sorcerer's plan, Spyro hopped to the largest remaining chunk of marble, scrambling to stay as far from the lava pool as he could manage.

The dragon turned to the side of the arena, from where the orbs had been firing. "HEY! You guys got something back there to help a dragon out?"

Forced to jump without a response when his safety island began to sink, Spyro leapt towards the edge, flapping his wings in a desperate attempt to stay above the lava. In a perfectly-timed (or EXTREMELY lucky) throw, however, a golden orb shot forth from the hiding place on the edge of the arena. The sparkling super-orb sent a rush of wind circling through the stage, enough to fill Spyro's wings and allow him to avoid the lava and take to the skies. It also brought a touch of heat, a burning in the dragon's chest that brought him back to saving the baby turtles, blowing up metal sharks, and taking down flag-thieves.

It was an odd combination, but one he recognized, having used it once before in Metropolis to conquer the sheep UFO invasion: the Professor's superfly/superflame power-up.

And so, the Palace arena filled with deadly lava, setting the stage for the final showdown. Spyro and Ripto returned to exchanging blows, each narrowly missing the other as their matching attacks would force the other to dodge out of the way. The Winter Tundra radiated with an unnatural heat as the enemies sent scorching fireball after scorching fireball across its wintery landscapes, both desperately firing and waiting for a hit.

Realizing that this contest was going nowhere and fast, Spyro came up with an idea - a risky one, but one that would settle the score once and for all. "Hey, Sparx, you doin' alright?"

The electric-blue dragonfly didn't answer; he knew all too well what Spyro meant by that question. "What're you planning?"

"Something really stupid. Can you hang on?"

Dragon and dragonfly diverged for a moment to avoid another one of Ripto's attacks. "You owe me a box of butterflies after this fight!" Sparx buzzed, ducking into his dragon-brother's frills.

"Alright, done deal." Waiting for his chance, Spyro circled the arena, then pounded his wings as he shot straight forward, charging through the air towards Ripto's creature.

Ripto fired bolt after bolt of fiery energy at the oncoming dragon, snarling as the agile Artisan ducked and rolled around every blast. Once in range, Spyro blasted one of the bird's wings, causing it to take a wrenching dip on one side, sending the sorcerer scrambling to straighten out his ship. With Ripto distracted, Spyro jumped onto its head, tilting it towards the floor and sending both of them spiraling. Ripto charged up his sceptre, smashing the young dragon in the head and sending him flying, crashing into one of the Palace walls with a stone-crumbling _THUD!_

However, it was too little, too late. As Ripto looked up, his mecha-bird had already hit the lava, and he had only a second to process the scene before its exploding engine bucked him off, sending him face-first into his own lava pit. By the time Spyro got back to his wings and his vision straightened, not a single piece of Ripto remained...except for the power crystal, which floated to the surface once loose of Ripto's staff.

Finally, Avalar was safe. For real this time.

oo00oo00oo

Spyro made his way down the stairs, just as the orb-magic wore off, where he met his Avalari hosts by the super-portal. "Spyro, my boy, that was _fantastic!_" the Professor congratulated. "What a show! What a thrill!"

"I couldn't have done it without those orbs, Professor," Spyro returned with a gentle bow. "Thanks."

Hunter gave a playful scoff. "Yeah, that was pretty cool. For a dragon."

Spyro just had to laugh, though; finally, he and Hunter were on pleasant terms. "Well, tossing in those orbs was pretty sweet. For a cheetah."

Elora stepped forward, but was short on words. (Especially after all of the times Spyro had scolded her for saying "thank you" and "I'm sorry".) So, with nothing else to say, she quickly knelt down and pressed her lips to the top of Spyro's head. "Thanks, Spyro," she said quietly. "We couldn't have done it without you."

Spyro's brain froze for a moment as he tried to process what had happened. He wasn't expecting his first kiss anytime soon, especially not from a faun. "Uh...you're welcome?"

Everyone then turned to Moneybags, who was being abnormally quiet in this moment of victory. "Moneybags? Don't you have something to _give _Spyro? Hmm?"

The bear scoffed. "I've no idea what you're talking about, Miss Elora. Yes, yes, dragon, thanks for all your work, we owe you our lives, yadda-yadda-Oof!"

Hunter tackled Moneybags down, sitting on the bear's back and wrestling loose his bag of gems. "Here! Catch!" he called, tossing the jewels to his dragon companion.

"I'm sure Moneybags MEANT to say that he's very sorry for trying to _swindle_ you while you were here," Elora filled in tensely, "and he'd like to return all of it. We want you to keep any of the gems that you found as a reward."

Spyro laughed as Sparx snatched up the bag. He would've paid every gem he had to watch Moneybags get pounded. "I'm sure the dragons wouldn't mind a few thousand more gems around the Realms. Thanks, guys!"

Putting in his coordinates, the Professor re-engaged the power crystal and finally activated the Dragon Shores portal. Quickly backing away, Elora motioned to the sunshine-filled doorway. "So, uhm...you'd better get going, right? I think we can be pretty sure you got Ripto for good this time."

"Uh...yeah, I guess I better. They're probably looking for me in the Dragon Realms. Plus, I could REALLY use that vacation now!" The Artisan took a few steps towards the portal, then stopped and turned to Hunter and Elora. "Hey, wait a second! Why don't you guys come with me? I'm sure I'm not the only person here who needs a vacation!"

Hunter moved to pounce on the opportunity, but Elora stopped him with an elbow to the ribs. "Sorry, Spyro, but we can't," she said instead. "Ripto made a mess of this place. We'll be cleaning up the damages for weeks!"

Spyro gave a sharp sigh. All work and no play, Elora as usual. "Right, you guys should...y'know, do that."

Feeling a pang of guilt in her chest, Elora shot Spyro the best smile she could manage. "Hey, but, uh...we'll keep the portal open. Y'know, if you ever want to...come visit?"

Spyro smiled back - it was a start, right? "Alright, sounds like a plan!"

Sparx tugged at his dragon-brother's horn. "Come on, can we GO yet?"

"Yeah, we can go. Come on, last one to the beach's a riptoc!"

The Professor turned a glare to Elora the second Spyro and Sparx were gone. "Elora, why did you tell him that?"

"Tell him what?"

"That we don't want to go to Dragon Shores!" Hunter cried. "Come on, all this work to open a portal to the biggest amusement park beach resort thing in the world, and you don't even want to GO?!"

"I didn't say that!" Elora jumped nervously. "W-What about all of the-"

"Oh, Ripto this and Ripto that," the Professor tsked. "The worlds of Avalar are in better shape than ever thanks to Spyro. Anything that needs to be done can wait a day or two."

"B-But what about the orbs? Or fixing the portals? Or-?"

"All things that can wait." The Professor adjusted his glasses. "Personally, Elora, I think you were incredibly rude to our guest. The least you could do is accept his invitation and go have some fun."

"Rude? Me?"

"You did kind of act like a stick in the swamp," Hunter agreed. "I mean, you're always kind of like that, but-"

"Am not!" Elora snapped, shoving her hoof in Hunter's gut.

"Point is, Elora," the Professor interjected, grabbing both of their arms and dragging them towards the portal. "You two owe it to Spyro to go enjoy yourselves. You leave the portal research to me and the cleaning to the locals."

* * *

><p><em>Hey, guys! So there was kind of a lot of protest that I skipped Shady Oasis and a speedway, and now I've basically skipped all of Winter Tundra. So here's the formal apology: I'm not here to bore you guys. Yes, I'm trying my best to novelize the story, but at the same time, I don't want to feel obligated to include really boring parts of the game just for the sake of being true to the games. (I'm not the only person that thinks Spyro games have notoriously-weak final homeworlds, am I?) I'm trying to include as much as I can, but I don't want to drag this story out by writing chapters that are just dull and nothing all that interesting happens. :( I'm just trying to compromise and give you guys the best story I can, so just enjoy what we've got going and not stress about anything I skip, okay? <em>

_Alright. With that said, get excited, guys! One more chapter 'til the Year of the Dragon! :D As always, I hope you guys enjoyed, and I'll see you next time! Thanks for reading!_

_______**_§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §_**______ _


	28. Dragon Shores

_Hey, dragonlets! So, uh, real quick, thanks for all the support on the last chapter! Much appreciated! With that out of the way, who's ready to head to Dragon Shores? :D Then let's get on with the show! _

**You found a disclaimer!**  
>Spyro the Dragon, both the game and all related characters (c) Insomniac. They own the Spyro that's in this story, so nyeh.<br>Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage / Gateway to Glimmer, as well as all related characters (c) blah-blah, same copyright.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT: Dragon Shores<strong>

Spyro stretched with a yawn, lazily rolling over and allowing the warm sunshine of the Shores to shine on his belly. Dragon Shores - after what felt like an eternity (which Spyro learned was only a few weeks), the dynamic duo had finally made it to the greatest amusement park of the Dragon Realms.

Gniles welcomed him to the park with open arms, inviting their draconic hero to take in as many rides and games as he'd like. But instead, the new hero of Avalar was napping on the beach. Saving the world was no easy feat, especially after a fight like he had with Ripto. He'd be scraping charcoal off of his scales for months. After a quick fodder break, Spyro and Sparx headed straight for the beach for a well-deserved rest.

Still, it was the perfect ending. Ripto was gone, Avalar was saved, and Spyro's itch for adventure had finally quelled, allowing the antsy Artisan's mind to be at rest. At least for a little while. Until a sudden shadow ruined the dragon's blanketing sunshine, effectively ruining his nap. "Spyro, get up."

The purple dragon gave a tired groan, rolling onto his stomach once more and knocking his sunglasses loose as he burrowed his nose between his arms. "Sparx, answer the door," the half-asleep Artisan said, nudging the dragonfly off of him.

Sparx, who was also enjoying an afternoon of basking in the sun, buzzed half-heartedly as he was forced awake. "Aw, come on, Spyro, I spend all that time baby-sitting you in Avalar, and you can't even thank me with a-" The dragonfly stopped, going into a frantic tailspin with a panicked buzz as he flew up to the obstruction and found a stern-faced Delbin staring them down. "Uh, Spyro? It's for you."

With a grumble, Spyro sat up, readjusting his shades. "Alright, alright, fine, be a dragoncry," he yawned, stretching his paws and wings. "Come on, what's the worst it could-" Suddenly, the young hero froze, biting his tongue as he saw his guardian standing over him. "Uh...h-hey, Delbin!" he laughed nervously, slowly putting his sunglasses aside. "Uhm...nice day for a vacation, isn't it?"

"Spyro, where in the WORLD have you been?" Delbin huffed. "You've been missing for weeks now! Do you have any idea how worried the dragon elders were? How worried I was?!"

"Yeah, I...kind of figured that," Spyro shyly shrugged. "Sorry?"

"Where have you been? We've had the gnorcs here keeping an eye out for you and scouts all over the Dragon Realms since you went missing!"

"I was, uh...Would you believe I was saving the world?" Still upset, Delbin allowed his pup to explain, so Spyro retold the story of being sucked into Avalar, asked to collect the talismans to fight back an evil sorcerer, saving the world after facing off in a fiery arena and barely escaping with his life...

And yet, Delbin didn't seem as enthralled by the newest legend of his young pup. "And you didn't once think to come back to the Dragon Realms and ask for help?"

"Well, see-"

"Spyro, when will you learn to be more careful? You have to stop rushing head-first into every adventure you find!"

"Well, I didn't-"

"I told you not to let Gnasty Gnorc get to your head, Spyro. I know you think you're ready for these things, but you're just not! You're still barely older than a dragonlet, haven't started your dragon training-"

"HEY!" Delbin had no choice to stop his rants when Spyro interrupted so loudly. Spyro stood as tall as a quadraped could, taking a swipe at the sand with a tensed paw. "Delbin, you mind giving me a minute to explain what happened? I COULDN'T get back to the Dragon Realms - the only reason I'm here is because we JUST got the super-portal running when I left! And even if I COULD get back home, I didn't NEED to! I handled myself just fine! That's TWICE now that I've managed to stop a bad guy BY MY-SELF. How about instead of attacking me for it, you just give me a simple 'hey, good job!'?"

The Artisan ran off, ducking around his guardian before Delbin could catch him. "Maybe I'll just go back to Avalar - at least THEY see me as more than some dumb dragonlet!"

"Spyro, wait!" The red full-grown gave a frustrated sigh. Out of all of the orphans he could've had, why did he get placed with the stubborn one with an attitude?

Delbin moved to enter the park and hunt down his pup, but paused as his delicate ears picked up some shaky whispering hiding just behind the corner.

_"I'm not asking a big ol' dragon for anything! Come on, Elora, do you really want to get eaten?"_

_"Hunter, we're not going to get EATEN. Just go ask him where Spyro is!"_

_"No! You go!"_

_"Why should I go? You're the one who always wants to be the hero!"_

_"Yeah, but not against-"_

"Excuse me." Delbin finally turned to the entranceway, finding a cheetah and a faun look up startled from their hushed conversation. "You two don't seem like locals; may I help you with something?"

After a few back-and-forth kicks and glares between the two, the faun stepped forward. "Uhm...yeah, actually, you could!" she said with a (slightly-forced) smile. "Uh, we're looking for a dragon named Spyro. He's about yea big, purple, gold wings, has a little dragonfly with him named Sparx. Have you seen him around?"

"I may have," Delbin answered cautiously. "Let me follow with a question of my own; who are you two?"

"Oh!" The faun motioned to herself. "Well, my name's Elora..." She then turned to the cheetah trying to hide behind her. "And this is Hunter. We're friends of Spyro's."

"The creatures from Avalar, right?" Delbin continued, recalling the story he had just heard from his pup. "The ones that kidnapped Spyro and almost had him killed by a sorcerer?"

"See? I told you the dragons were going to be mad about that!" Hunter hissed, earning him a hoof in the gut.

"I'm sorry that's what you heard, Mr. Dragon," Elora smiled, trying to brush over their mistake as pleasantly as she could. "But to be fair, Spyro didn't almost get himself killed." (That was her story and she was sticking to it.) "If anything, he told us there was nothing to worry about!"

"And you believed the story of a fourteen-year-old dragonlet?"

"Not initially," Hunter answered, earning him another kick. "Ow! Stop doing that!"

"What Hunter MEANS," Elora jumped in, "is that yeah, we didn't know if Spyro could really do it, but he proved us wrong. The stuff he did while he was in Avalar was amazing!"

"Yes, Spyro's quite talented for his age. However, with that kind of fame comes an ego, and Spyro's gets overinflated from time to time. I appreciate that you didn't get him KILLED, but you should do better than hunting down heroes and giving them things to do."

Elora tilted her head. "What are you talking about? That's not what happened at all! We didn't know what dragon we were going to get; we went with the first one we found! Our home was being taken over by an evil sorcerer, and nobody in all of Avalar had the power to stop him! Spyro wasn't in it for any kind of prize or ego boost, he did it because we needed help!"

Unable to bite back her temper, the faun stepped up to the dragon (...and had to fight the urge to step back when she realized Delbin was twice her size). "Look, Mr. Dragon, I don't know who you are or what you've heard about Spyro, but they didn't do a very good job of explaining him. Spyro is one of the sweetest creatures I've met - he's selfless and giving and just wants to help out people who are in a jam. Okay, sure, maybe he's a little reckless sometimes, but he's not STUPID. He knows what he's doing and is doing it for all of the right reasons, and he's REALLY good at it! So until you get to know him for yourself, don't just judge and say mean things like that, okay?"

Rather than bite back in a rage, as the shaken Hunter clearly thought he was going to do, Delbin stepped back, soaking in what Elora had said. Realizing his new need to talk with Spyro, he gave them a graceful Artisan bow. "Very well, then." Once straightened up, he continued, "I believe that rascal pup of mine is hiding out in the amusement park; if I had to take a guess, the roller coasters. I'll gladly send him out to meet you, but only after I've had a chance to speak with him in private."

Delbin entered the park, and Hunter and Elora shot each other nervous looks. "Dude, you just got up in the face of Spyro's _dad!_"

"I didn't mean to! Oh, gosh, I hope I didn't say something dumb and get Spyro into a bunch of trouble."

oo00oo00oo

Delbin was half-right in gauging Spyro's hiding spots; he was in the park, but instead at the shooting range, taking out a fair bit of aggression on some target-lizards. (Or at least trying to; his frustration was messing with his accuracy quite a bit.) "Spyro, aim higher than your target actually is."

Spyro didn't turn to look, so Delbin sat on the step to the gallery, nudging Spyro's head upwards to make his point. "You always point your nose down when you fire at a target; you have to look a little bit higher to counter-balance that."

The purple dragon spat his final shot, trying to ignore as it perfectly struck the target thanks to Delbin's coaching. "Delbin, what do you want?" he snapped. "Or did you just come in here in case I hurt myself at the shooting range?"

"Spyro, control your temper," Delbin instructed sternly. "Being upset is no excuse to snap at an elder." Spyro clearly had no intention of calming down, so the full-grown continued regardless. "...Spyro, you have to remember that adopted or not, you're still my pup. That means you're my responsibility, and I have to watch out for you and protect you."

The red Artisan ran a claw down Spyro's back. "That...also means that I may be a bit TOO protective at times. You're growing up fast, Spyro, much faster than I expected. It's an adjustment to make, realizing that there's a dragonlet running around that's just as capable as the dragons in their training ages. Sometimes I forget how much you can do.

"I also forget how mature you are. Watching you grow up, I've gotten used to your reckless behavior; rushing into situations without thinking, looking for thrills in all the wrong places, putting yourself and others into danger because you think it's fun or because you want to be the hero. I'm still not convinced that you always think things through, but...well, I should stop being so assuming that you still act like such a child. You're becoming wise beyond your years, learning to pick your battles and only using your strengths to help others instead of just indulging your need for adrenaline. And for all of that, I'm sorry. My outburst earlier was uncalled for; I should be proud of you and all that you did for the Avalari, and I most certainly am."

Spyro's pout eventually broke into a smile. "Wow. Thanks, Delbin. It...means a lot to hear you say that. But, uh...why the sudden change of heart?"

Delbin smiled back. "Because I thought I knew you better than anyone else. I've been raising you for twelve years...but I'm starting to think that I don't know you at all. Especially since there's a duo that seems to know you better than I do after only a few weeks." Spyro's ears perked at Delbin's hint. "I ran into a pair of Avalari at the gate of the Shores, a young faun and a cheetah. They were looking for you, and I think you'd be an incredibly rude host not to greet them."

"Hunter and Elora are here?!" Spyro jumped. "Are you serious?!"

Delbin nodded. "Go have fun with your friends, Spyro. It sounds like you've earned it after such a long adventure."

"Oh, we will!" Spyro took off charging towards the gate, but quickly screeched to a halt and turned around. He ran back to Delbin and gave him a nuzzle.

"Thanks, Delbin. Adopted or not, you're the best dad ever."

oo00oo00oo

_And so, life slowly returned to normal for the Avalari. Some of them cleared out Ripto's mayhem, others learned to live with the new additions to their families. The Fracture Hills seemed to enjoy their new hillmates in particular, especially after the Earthshapers changed their tunes about bagpipe music and joined Kristen's dance troupe. And the bonebuilders seemed particularly thankful for the Lava Lizards when Moneybags tried to charge them triple for his lackluster burgers. Needless to say, the bear quickly returned to real estate._

_There were still metal sharks in Aquaria Towers, though. As Hunter quickly found out when he returned to his dream of being a manta ray racing champion._

_To protect Avalar in the future, the worlds were coming together for the first time in centuries, all working together to strengthen the worlds and protect it from future invasions. Heading up the effort? Agent Zero, alongside his new recruits, Handel and Greta. Apparently, they had a much easier time of reaching the secret clubhouse than Spyro did._

_Avalar was becoming one happy realm. If the breezebuilders and the landblubbers could lay down their arms, anything was possible. With the help of the monks, the icebuilders got front-row seats to the Colossus hockey finals, where the Tanking 'Tocs took down the Blazing Blues in a 8-2 blowout. Spyro later heard that Oggy and Iggy even got to take to the ice! Even the Master Chef was invited to the post-Ripto festivities - he got to host his own hot tub party at the Sunny Castle. (No turtles were harmed in the making of his snacks, though.)_

_Oh, and if anyone's wondering, Sparx DID get that box of butterflies Spyro promised. He just had to fight through a few black sheep to get them._

_As for Spyro and Elora? Well..._

Spyro and Elora's laughs bounced off of the inside of the tunnel as it rounded the bend. After a long day of dunking yetis, rocketing around on coaster cars, and taking in a few movies at the theater, the trio's perfect day at Dragon Shores had finally drawn to a dusky close. Before taking to the beach for a dragon-powered bonfire, though, Elora had managed to wrestle Spyro away from his budding bromance with Hunter long enough for a ride on the Tunnel of Love. Not quite Spyro's thing, but the dragon made an exception, considering how little one-on-one time he and Elora had.

Finally, the two could talk about other things - talk about Dragon Shores, talk about games, tell jokes, share secrets, anything that didn't involve Ripto or orbs or talismans. And if you asked Spyro? Getting a laugh out of Elora was worth the lame boat ride.

"We should do this more often," Elora said, admiring the albeit-cheesy decorations of metallic stars and clunky Cupids around them.

"What, ride a boat going negative miles per hour in a circle?" Spyro teased. "You've gotta do other stuff for fun, 'Lora, come on."

"Not what I meant, Spyro!" Elora snapped with a laugh, playfully shoving him.

"Well, then what did you mean?"

"Well...y'know, just...hanging out?"

"...You mean just the two of us?"

"...Yeah? I-I mean, not to say I mind Hunter or Sparx or anything, but...It's nice for you and I to get away from the noise, y'know?"

The faun scooted towards the center of the boat, so Spyro felt obliged to do the same. "Okay, so I know I wasn't the nicest host while you were in Avalar, and I'm sorry. I was just so frazzled with...everything, and it was really hard for me to forget about that and talk, especially since you're just...way too cool to be hanging out with a brainiac like me," she ended with a laugh.

"Usually, it's the brainiacs who think they're too cool for me," Spyro laughed. "Besides, don't worry about it. Point is, Avalar's safe, and now you and I can hang out whenever we want."

"You mean it?"

"Of course." The dragon sat up, leaning towards the center of the boat, so Elora felt obliged to do the same. "After all, it's only fair. You gave me the grand tour of Avalar. Maybe I could give you the grand tour of the Dragon Realms?"

"...I'd like that."

"Cool, it's a date."

Elora thanked the gods for the darkness of the tunnel as her face flushed. Her heart fluttered like she was back in primary school, drooling over the satyr boy that was just out of her league. It just wasn't a satyr boy - it was a dragon, a selfless hero that could swoop in and save the day at a moment's notice, and did it with a smile and a laugh every time.

The faun took a shaky breath to steady her nerves as the boat pulled closer and closer to the dock. This was her moment, her one chance to make a move before the day was out and she and Spyro would go their separate ways. _Come on, Elora, it's not going to be that hard. Just do it quick. What's the worst that could happen? ...Okay, don't think about that, actually. Okay, here goes. Oh my gods, am I really going to do this? Okay, yes, you are - one, two, three._

Elora leaned in, ready to catch Spyro in a kiss as the ride came to its end. But when her lips met air, she saw that her riding partner was nowhere to be found. (Until she heard him yelling something about not crashing the coasters into the electrolls to Sparx and Hunter across the park.) With a frustrated sigh, she fixed her hair and stepped off the boat.

Oh, well. She still had that tour of the Dragon Realms to look forward to, right?

* * *

><p><em>So close, Elora. So close. XD Anyway, thanks for reading, guys! I hope you enjoyed! Make sure you tune in next week, 'cause the Year of the Dragon's upon us! See you next time!<br>_

________**_§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §_**________


	29. Year of the Dragon

_Happy Saturday, dragonlets! Who's ready to celebrate the year of the dragon? Then let's get on with the show! :D_

**You found a disclaimer!**  
>Spyro the Dragon, both the game and all related characters (c) Insomniac. They own the Spyro that's in this story, so nyeh.<br>Spyro 3: Year of the Dragon, as well as all related characters (c) blah-blah, same copyright.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE: Year of the Dragon<strong>

And so, peace returned to both the Dragon Realms and Avalar. The two worlds, which grew separate for centuries, were now connected through Dragon Shores, which bustled with more business than ever. Dragons moved into Avalar, whether to study in the Tundra or train for war in the Plains, while Avalari came and went as they pleased - in particular, Hunter and Elora, who frequented the Artisans to visit their old friend and hero, Spyro. (Hunter even more so, as he took to the Dragon Speedways in hopes of perfecting his racing technique and eventually beating his young dragon rival.)

Still, the homebodied Elora tried to cut down on trips to the Dragon Realms, fearing a catastrophe in Avalar if she were to leave for more than a few hours, instead encouraging Spyro to visit her instead. Most days, the Artisan obliged, having grown quite fond of the Avalar realms during his short stay and the lengthy visits that followed. This time, however, it had been a bit over a year since the last sign of Ripto, and Spyro wasn't about to let Elora stay home this time.

"PLEEEEEEE~ASE?" Spyro begged, circling the red-headed faun in hopes of trapping her until she agreed. "Come on, it's _only _for a few days!"

"Spyro, you know I want to," Elora tsked, "but I don't want to leave Avalar alone for that long!"

"Elora, Summer Forest isn't going to explode because you're not babysitting it all day."

"It might! What if one of the Professor's experiments goes wrong? Or something else summons a big, ol' baddie from another part of the world?"

"Hunter's going to be with us; what's the worst that could happen?" Elora didn't seem capable of coming up with an answer, so Spyro hopped up on the Summer Steps to reach her eye-level. "Look, Elora, you know me better than that. I would never do anything to put Avalar in danger. But this only comes around once every twelve years, and I don't want you to miss it." The dragon flashed her one of his usual smirks. "Look, if a baddie turns up, I will PERSONALLY torch him back to the Badlands. Promise."

Elora gave a sigh, flipping her hair from her face before giving Spyro a pout. "You're not going to drop this until I agree to go, are you?"

"Nope."

"...Alright, I guess we're heading to the Dragon Realms. Just promise me that I'll actually get to see you, and you won't spend the whole time hanging out with-" By the time Elora looked up from her nag, Spyro was already gone. "...Hunter and Sparx," she finished with a sigh.

Her friendship with Spyro was FAR from what she thought it would be after such a long year, especially after that first day in Dragon Shores. They visited frequently, but almost always as a trio - Hunter and Spyro were nearly inseparable after a few outings. Elora almost never got to spend one-on-one time with her dragon hero. Not that Spyro seemed to mind, anyway - it seemed, at least at times, that he was still too immature to wrap his head around girls, and seemed to deny on every account that they were any sort of an item.

Still, Elora was a faun of many traits. Surprisingly, hope was one of them. Perhaps the Year of the Dragon ceremony would be her chance to spend some time with her dragon hero.

oo00oo00oo

The Artisans were alight with celebration when Spyro and guests entered the Dragon Realms. Dragons were pouring in from across the Realms, filling the rolling plains with mythical beasts of nearly every shape and size. Sparkling fairies (including Zoe, who stopped by to say hi, having returned to her native home of Lofty Castle to help with the procession) dotted in and out of the dusky sky, dropping off one of the largest batches of eggs in ages.

This was the legendary Year of the Dragon, a massive event that only occurred once every twelve years - or, by dragon standards, once a dragon-age. Normally, the festivities were separate, contained within each of the five Realms. However, in honor of Spyro's take-down of Gnasty Gnorc (which still remained on everyone's mind over two years later), this Year of the Dragon was to be a melting pot, a celebration of dragon unity where all five breeds would come together as one. And, of course, the tradition would begin in the purple dragon's home, the rolling hills of the Artisans.

"So, what exactly's going to happen while we're here?" Elora asked as the trio weaved through dragons and eggs to find a comfortable place to watch the first-night ceremonies, which were about to begin. They eventually settled on a spot by the Stone Hill, where they could lean against the columns and look up at the Elder's Ridge, where the event would take place. Spyro curled up, getting comfy right between his two best friends, and explained:

"See, it's a big celebration of all of the dragons being one dragon-age older. We start by honoring the oldest dragons and go backwards from there. Tonight is kind of like the opener, which we kind of need because the Dragon Realms have only been interacting with each other for about two years now. Anyway, the big part of tonight is celebrating the tenth-ages, who are officially becoming Elders. It's kind of a big deal for dragons. Tomorrow is when the second-ages get assigned their mentors and start their dragon-kata training. Then the third day is for the first-ages, who are finally done being babies and can start learning the basics of being a dragon, like smashing things with their horns and torching things, that kind of stuff.

"Then we get to the fourth day, which is really why everyone's here. That's the night we'll be able to hang out with Zoe. Anyway, all of the fairies from across the Dragon Realms - and probably a bunch of the ones that are in Avalar, too - are going to come into the Artisans, and when you mix together the dragon magic and the fairy magic, it'll be enough to hatch all of the eggs that they've been bringing in from the High Caves."

"Aw, so the Artisans are going to be filled with little baby dragons?" Elora couldn't help but coo.

"Yep," Spyro nodded. "A hundred-and-fifty of 'em. At least, that's the number Delbin gave me. There's a big party, everyone has a great time, and then the new parents get to go home with their hatchlings."

"So what part of the show are you gonna be in, Spyro?" Not knowing Spyro's age or the math behind converting base years to dragon-ages, Hunter couldn't help but ask.

The Artisan went quiet, not sure of how to answer. Were he hatched under normal circumstances, he'd be up on the Elder's Ridge alongside the other first-ages in two days, getting the typical lecture from Nestor and Astor about growing up and preparing for life's journey. But those normal circumstances weren't there. Spyro's twelfth birthday couldn't have been more uneventful. The closest he had to a "first-age ceremony" was two years ago, fighting to free the dragons and stop a power-hungry gnorc. Now he was fifteen, the only dragon in the Realms to rely on base years for his age. Not old enough to fit in with the second-ages, despite being more than skilled enough to start kata-training (a thought which Spyro abhored; going away to school to be lectured by elders, bleugh), and yet far too old and experienced to stand alongside the first-ages who barely knew how to catch fodder.

Luckily, he needed not answer, thanks to a bright red first-age falling from the sky and crashing onto Spyro's back. "SPYRO!"

Reflexes at the ready, Spyro curled into a roll, tumbling down the hill in such a way as to pin his attacker. "Oh, come on, Flame, you've got to try harder than that to sneak up on me."

Flame squirmed, desperate to escape the purple dragon's pin. "Alright, alright, I get it, get off!" he laughed. Spyro obliged, grabbing the young Peacekeeper's paw in his teeth to pull him up before escorting him back to their spot.

"Friend of yours, Spyro?" Elora laughed.

Spyro gave a scoff. "Nope." After a few jabs with Flame's bright yellow horns, though, the Artisan dismissed his statement with a laugh. "Oh, come on, _Flavius, _I'm joking!"

"Spy, don't call me that!" Flame whined, continuing to prod Spyro with his horns until the purple dragon butted back, locking their horns in a tussle that the young dragonlet quickly lost.

"I'll call you whatever I want, twerp," Spyro laughed. He then turned back to Elora and Hunter. "Guys, this is Flame, my...well, not really my little brother, but close as I'm ever going to get. He's Magnus' kid, my training mentor from the Peacekeepers."

"And I take it these'r your big, fancy not-dragon friends from that Avalar place, Mr. Always-Gotta-Save-The-World?" Flame asked.

"Dragon or not, they're cooler than you," Spyro teased, giving his almost-brother a playful shove. "Yeah, this is Hunter and Elora. Not that you needed the intro, probably, considering all the stories you've heard."

"Yeah, I know." Flame took a few steps backwards, just enough to step into an opening away from his almost-brother. "I'm just wondering." He gently nudged towards the faun visitor. "I thought you weren't supposed to start bringing mates to Year of the Dragon until third-age!"

Spyro, who couldn't ever help but get touchy when people tried to accuse him and Elora of whatever romantic involvement, dug into the grass and took off after the fleeing Peacekeeper. "Flame, get back here! You can forget all about making it to that first dragon-age now, 'cause you're DONE!" Flame kept up the chase, though, having run from Spyro through the Peacekeeper sands more than enough times to keep up with the Artisan's legendary speed.

Both dragons, however, turned tail and bolted straight back to the columns after a few minutes, ducking and hiding behind them as best they could. "We're not here!" they hissed to Hunter and Elora.

The Avalari were momentarily confused, but quickly understood as a small, pink Dream Weaver pranced up to them, heart necklace swinging as she looked back and forth across the Artisans. "Uh, excuse me?" she asked quietly, recoiling slightly out of shyness. "I-I'm looking for an Artisan. His name is Spyro. He's purple with gold horns and wings, and he's really cute and super-heroic. H-Have you guys seen him?"

Keeping true to their forced word, the Avalari shook their heads, and the Dream Weaver went on her way. Once the coast was clear, Spyro and Flame peeked out of their hiding place. "Ugh, great - I forgot Ember was going to be here," the Artisan groaned.

"Maybe she'll be so busy with Year of the Dragon stuff that she'll forget about looking for you," Flame laughed. He gave his almost-brother an affectionate head-butt. "Hey, I'm gonna go find Magnus before he freaks out that I'm missing and sends you on a one-dragon rescue mission to find me, okay?"

"I've been on enough of those, but go get lost anyway. And don't do anything stupid when it's your turn on stage, okay?"

The red Peacekeeper ran off, allowing Spyro to resume his seat with Hunter and Elora, just as Nestor stepped up to Elder's Ridge and all of the dragons took their seats.

"Dragons and dragonesses, welcome to the Year of the Dragon..."

oo00oo00oo

The first night of the celebration went off without a hitch. There were stunning fireworks after the tenth-ages ascended to Elder ranks, and a night of music kept everyone dancing and having fun until they dropped.

Tomorrow was another day, another mess of preparations, another celebration to be had, another age of dragons to mature. And so, with the dragon eggs safely scattered throughout the Artisans, which were protected by layers and layers of fairy magic that night, everybody laid down for a few hours of much-needed sleep.

While all of the dragons were accustomed to sleeping outdoors, and Hunter had danced himself silly, falling asleep on the spot, Elora found herself to be the only one struggling to get some rest in the new environment. She was used to a bedroom, blankets and pillows and creature comforts. The grass was simply no substitute.

Waking up to take a nervous glance around the Artisans, Sparx noticed Elora still awake in the middle of the night. "Hey, 'Lora, you alright?" he buzzed, being as quiet as he could (while still enunciating enough for a foreigner to understand the tricky tongue of a dragonfly buzz).

Elora turned her squirms into a stretch, trying to play dumb. "Nope," she yawned quietly. "I'm fine. This is good, I'm great." Sparx flew into her face, plenty close enough for her to see the flat look on his face. "...Okay, so I'm kind of cold out here and kind of want a pillow. It's camping, I'm fine."

The dragonfly gave a small buzz, nudging Elora to follow him. He returned to his dragon, who was curled up and dead asleep by Stone Hill. Sparx touched down on Spyro's side for a second, then lifted off - a dragonfly's way of 'pointing' to outsiders. "There, use Spyro. Fire-dragons are warm, and he won't care if you use him for a pillow. I've seen the other dragonlets do it all the time when he has to babysit."

"I won't wake him up?"

"You could kick Spyro in the head and he wouldn't wake up. I know this dragon."

Knowing Sparx well enough to take his word for things, Elora laid back down, using the sleeping dragon as a makeshift pillow. As the dragonfly promised, Spyro exuded heat, like a fire in his chest that would pulse with every breath. And yet, it wasn't a direct heat, not like an open flame. It was a rounder warmth, something more comforting than just a simple heat. It was a sense of calm, a feeling of power and invincibility. Spyro wasn't just warm, but he felt _safe, _as if nothing could get you if he was in their way.

The faun smiled as she curled back up - maybe not as nice as her bed, but it was a start.

Before falling asleep, though, Elora had to address the obvious as it made home in Spyro's frill. "Sparx, what're you doing up, anyway?"

"Just wanted to check on the eggs," the dragonfly buzzed, golden glow fading as it often did when the duo went to sleep. "I woke up with this weird dragonfly sense tingle, like something bad was happening, but I guess it was nothing. I counted, all of the eggs are still here."

"You're probably just tired and imagining things."

"Probably. What, are bad guys going to climb out of holes in the ground and steal the eggs? As if."

* * *

><p><em>What could possibly go wrong? XD Anyway, thanks for reading, guys! And thanks for the amazing support on the series! :) Make sure to join us next week, when all the really bad stuff happens! Don't miss it! <em>

_______**_§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §_**_______


	30. Down the Rabbit Hole

_Hiya, dragonlets! Welcome back! Who's ready for all the bad stuff to happen? :D Then let's get on with the show!  
><em>

**You found a disclaimer!**  
>Spyro the Dragon, both the game and all related characters (c) Insomniac. They own the Spyro that's in this story, so nyeh.<br>Spyro 3: Year of the Dragon, as well as all related characters (c) blah-blah, same copyright.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER THIRTY: Down the Rabbit Hole<strong>

Bianca paused to adjust her hood as she popped up in the Artisans, desperate to keep her face hidden. With the fairy magic in the skies and all of the portals closed off, she and the rhynocs had to get..._creative_ to infiltrate the Dragon Realms. Crawling through molehills wasn't her ideal plan of action, but it was about to get the job done.

She looked about, staying low as the rest of the squad began to peek out of the ground. It was just before dawn, as the clouds were beginning to light up in various shades of pinks and golds. If the sun came up, the slumbering dragons would awaken and their plan would be ruined. They had to move fast.

The apprentice waved her hand, signalling the rhynocs to move into the field. She then stepped out of her own molehill, overseeing the attack. The rhynocs moved as quietly as they could, each grabbing one of the numerous eggs and rushing back to their hole, filling it in behind them as they rushed back home. None of them had the finesse or strength to lock horns with a dragon, so their only chance of survival was to avoid the creatures altogether.

Once all of the rhynocs were gone, Bianca crept through the minefield of sleeping beasts to pick up the last of the hundred-and-fifty eggs. With the last of their precious cargo in hand, the triumphant apprentice started her walk back towards her escape route.

However, the cloaked witch froze with a shiver as she heard one of the elders stir. Astor gave a long yawn, stretching slightly before rolling onto his side. Bianca didn't dare to breathe until she was certain he was asleep. With a light, nervous sigh, she changed course, instead heading for an open hill that was further away from the waking elder.

The threats nearer the other hole were much lesser - all that seemed to stand in her way was a cheetah, a faun, and a purple dragonlet. An easy road to safety...

...If the cheetah didn't roll over and throw his arm right under Bianca's foot. She barely saw it coming, much less be able to stop herself from stepping on his paw. Hunter let out a yowl, which quickly woke up the rest of the surrounding dragons, as well as the nearby faun and dragonlet.

And all eyes were pointed right at her. "Stop that egg-thief!"

With the evidential egg still right in her arms, Bianca had no choice but to run as fast as she could towards her original escape route. Hunter and Spyro gave chase, the latter spitting a mouthful of flame at the egg-thief in hopes of taking her down. In the most Hunter-like fashion, though, the cheetah tripped, sending he and Spyro tumbling.

The hooded apprentice tripped as she felt the heat of smoke on her robe, stumbling down the hole at the last second as a full-grown dragon lunged at her. Gavin jumped for the thief, ready to chase her to the ends of the earth to protect the egg.

_THUNK. _He followed her right into the hole. And got stuck.

oo00oo00oo

Bianca was still short on breath as she shakingly walked into the castle with the final egg. "We managed to...capture the eggs...Your Highness...Every last one."

The Sorceress gave a twisted smirk as her apprentice set the unhatched dragon at her feet. A scaly reptile of a woman long past her prime, the old queen loved nothing more than to watch her plans go off without a hitch. It made her face light up...which, as the other rhynocs would tell you, wasn't much better than when she was frowning.

"Excellent," she cooed. "Nicely done, Bianca. Perhaps you'll amount to something after all." She slowly got to her feet, gingerly picking up the egg. It had been ages since she last held a dragon egg, so she took a moment to bask in its warm, magical glow. _Soon...Very soon..._

The Sorceress snapped her claws, pointing towards the door. "Bianca, I want you and the rhynocs to guard the tunnels. Make sure NOBODY gets through from the Dragon Realms, understood?"

The apprentice nodded, giving a low bow as she backed out of the throne room to complete her orders.

Zoe, who was hiding at the window, bit her lip as the Sorceress went back to fawning over her egg. "Oh, no. This is bad. This is REALLY, really bad!"

oo00oo00oo

Astor gave a heavy tug on Gavin's exposed legs, trying to wrestle the sapphire full-grown from his predicament. Not only would they need as many channels open as possible (he was blocking one of only two holes remaining), but, well, he looked ridiculous, and it would be a distraction at the Dragon Festival.

...Provided there would still BE a Dragon Festival.

Zoe popped out from the open tunnel, rushing over to where the rescue team (which included Spyro, Hunter, Elora, Alban, and Delbin) was waiting for her while the rest of the dragons scoured the worlds to find any trace of the mysterious thieves.

"Zoe, did you find where they've taken the eggs?" Alban asked.

"They're on the other side of the Dragon Realms!" the frightened fairy relayed. "T-They're scattered all over the place, and the rhynocs are on strict orders to guard the tunnels and make sure they don't get taken back!" She gave a shy shrug. "We found a few of them, but we couldn't sneak them out past the goons. Sorry."

Spyro's ears perked. "Wait, wait, the other side of the world? You mean they're in Avalar?"

"No, Spyro," Alban interrupted. "Zoe's referring to the Forgotten Realms."

Before the young Artisan could press further, Delbin stepped in, and Spyro was fully expecting another lecture: 'Spyro, it's dangerous. Spyro, stay here. Spyro, take your friends home. Spyro, let the big boys handle this.'

Which is why he was fully surprised when his guardian instead said, "Spyro, you'll have to follow Zoe through the tunnels and try to get the eggs back for us."

"Whoa, wait, you mean that?"

"You've proven yourself more than capable of saving captured dragons, Spyro," Delbin reminded with a smile. "Plus, nobody else can put those egg thieves in their places like you can."

Alban looked over to the rescue attempt of Gavin, which now included Nestor and Argus. "Not to mention, you're the only one of us that could fit down the holes."

So the Artisan did what he did best in the face of danger and destruction: put on his game-face. "Alright, guess that means it's world-saving time!"

Spyro turned to his guests, but before he could say anything, Hunter beat him to the punch. "Don't even say it - I'm coming with you. No way you're going off to the other side of the world by yourself."

Sparx gave an offended buzz. "Excuse me? Spyro doesn't go ANYWHERE by himself. If I left him alone for ten minutes, I'd come back to a dead dragon."

"Alright, can it, you two. You're both coming." Spyro then turned a nervous eye to Elora. "Uhm...I-I'm guessing you don't-"

"If it's alright with you, Spyro, I'll just go back to Avalar," Elora shrugged. "I couldn't keep up with you and Hunter, and you guys need to find the eggs fast."

The faun knelt down so Spyro could be closer to eye-level. "I'll go find them as fast as I can and come get you when everyone's home safe, okay? I still owe you a Year of the Dragon party. Promise."

Elora couldn't help but smile. "You're really bad at keeping promises."

"I know."

She leaned in slightly, but Hunter's yowling (unfortunately) stopped her from trying anything. "Hey, Spyro, come on, we got babies to save, let's go!"

oo00oo00oo

Spyro and Hunter followed Zoe through the labyrinth of mole-tunnels, eventually leading them to a bright and sunny land not unlike the Artisans they left behind. It was a warm place, filled with clean air and sparkling water, the perfect habitat for any dragon bloodline. Spyro couldn't help but notice the comparisons to home when they saw that the entire land was coated in loose dragon treasure. Did another evil magician get their hands on a treasure-gnorc spell?

"So you know anything about these Forgotten Worlds?" Hunter asked.

"Not a thing," Spyro answered, looking around. "But maybe we can get the story from some loc-"

_Schwing-schwoop-POW! _Dragon and cheetah both stepped back as a rainbow shot down from the sky, landing in front of them with an explosive flash of white light. When it cleared, they saw the egg thief from earlier, the tall blonde covered in ruby robes. "So, YOU'RE the one the dragons put in charge of rescuing the eggs, are you?" she laughed.

Spyro gave a little snort of smoke. By the gods, did he HATE when people gave him the 'you're kind of small to be saving the world' voice. "Yeah, you got a problem with it?"

Bianca gave a little jump at Spyro's threat, but brushed away the smoke and put her tough face back on. "Look here, dragonlet, if you know what's good for you, you'll turn around and crawl right back up that hole you came in from. Those eggs are OURS, and they're hidden in places that you won't find for another thousand years!"

"I dunno, I'm pretty good at hide-and-go-seek," Spyro smirked. (If he could find the orbs in Avalar, dragon eggs couldn't be much harder to find.)

The apprentice gave a little scowl. "Well, even if you DO find them, our armies will take you out and take them back! Am I clear?"

"Crystal. But the eggs are coming back home with me anyway."

"Ooh! Dragon, this is your fair warning! Get lost, because if I find you sneaking around here again, I'm gonna...well, I'm gonna be angry, and you're NOT gonna like me when I'm angry!"

The witch disappeared in a shower of rainbows and sparkles, leaving Spyro and Hunter to their own devices once more. Threats from an evil sorcerer(ess)? Check. Stolen magical artifacts that could throw the world into chaos if found in the wrong hands? Check. Brand-new world that needed saving from the horrors of the gem-made army? Check. Only one dragon in the Realms that can step up and save the day? Check.

"Well, boys, let the games begin."

* * *

><p><em>Let the games begin indeed. XD Anyway, as usual, thanks for reading, guys! Hope you enjoyed; tune in next week! :)<br>_

________**_§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §_**________


	31. Sheila's Alp

_Welcome back, dragonlets! We've crossed the thirty-chapter threshold! Whoo~! Anyway, who's ready to celebrate by unlocking some characters and going on some adventures? :D I sure am! Let's get on with the show!_

**You found a disclaimer!**  
>Spyro the Dragon, both the game and all related characters (c) Insomniac. They own the Spyro that's in this story, so nyeh.<br>Spyro 3: Year of the Dragon, as well as all related characters (c) blah-blah, same copyright.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE: Sheila's Alp<strong>

Moneybags gave a lazy stretch, easily ignoring the whining and kicking from the caged kangaroo by his side. This would be his easiest business venture of all time. All the dragon treasure he could ever wish for, and all he had to do was watch a few cages? If he knew about this Sorceress and her job openings earlier, he wouldn't have even bothered butting heads with that devilish-

"Moneybags? What're you doin' here?"

The bear jumped with such a start, it brought him to his feet. He did his best to turn his panic into a friendly, surprised laugh, though, as he smiled, "Spyro! How funny to see you here! Goodness me, how long has it been? I don't think you and I have had the pleasure since we defeated Ripto back in Avalar!"

"I think _I _was the one who beat Ripto," Spyro corrected. "So, uh...seriously, what are you doing here?"

"Keepin' me in dis cage, dat's what the bludger's doin'!" piqued up the kangaroo in the cage.

Moneybags gave the golden chamber a kick. "Hush-hush, Sheila, Mr. Moneybags is talking to a friend." Seeing the daggers beginning to stir in Spyro's eyes, the bear kicked his theatre skills into overdrive. "Oh, Spyro, don't mind the naughty little kangaroo; she's been causing trouble here in the Sunrise Spring, and I got hired on by a LOVELY local sorceress to keep her from making things worse! She's a darling, Spyro, you two should meet one day."

Spyro shot a side-glance to the kangaroo, who was giving him every hand-wave and head-shake in the book. "...Well, Moneybags, sounds like you're doing a good thing for this Sorceress lady and all, but uh...I think I'm gonna have to ask you to leave. I got some hero business to do, I don't...want you getting hurt or anything if a battle breaks out."

"Hero business? Goodness, Ripto isn't still creeping around, is he?"

"No, different business. Now get outta here."

Moneybags tsked. "I'm sorry, Spyro, but I can't just leave. I know you're a trusty dragon, but the Sorceress is paying me a _fortune _to keep-"

"Hundred gems." Moneybags screeched his monologue to a stop. "I know money talks with you. Hundred gems, you go get lost."

"...S-Spyro, really, I-I couldn't-"

"Two hundred?"

"No, no, I REALLY shouldn't-"

"Three?"

"Okay, fine!" the bear huffed, cursing his weakness for treasure. Why not milk Spyro for some commission pay? It wouldn't be so outrageous if he told the Sorceress he had been CHASED away from the cage by a rampaging dragon, would it? When Sparx presented him with his bag of jewels, Moneybags kicked the door open. "Your kind-hearted nature is to be commended, Spyro. I fear the day someone evil and dastardly ever dare to use it against you."

"Yeah, yeah, shut yer blowhole, mate," the kangaroo snipped, bouncing out of the cage and kicking it aside.

"Now, now, Miss Sheila," Moneybags pouted. "I'm doing you quite the favor here; you should be a LITTLE more courteous."

Sheila gave him the biggest, fakest smile ever. "Righ'! Righ', my mistake, mate." She extended her paw. "No 'ard feelin's, yea?"

"Right," Moneybags agreed, reaching in for a shake. "After all, I'm just doing my-"

_WH-BAM! _Sheila jumped from the ground, slamming both of her mighty feet straight into Moneybags' gut, sending the bear halfway across Sunrise Spring before sending him off crying to the Tiki Lounge. " 'N tha's what you get, ya money-grubbin' bludger!"

Spyro struggled to stay on all fours as laughter overtook him. "Oh, my gods, that was AMAZING," he finally managed between breaths.

"Eh, 'e was askin' fer it," Sheila laughed. With Moneybags taken care of, the kangaroo turned her eyes to her Artisan rescuer. "Okay, so lemme guess - yer one'a them dragons ya hear 'bout in all the old stories 'n legends, are ya?"

Spyro took a step back, still not used to the awkward looks of people who had never seen a dragon before. "Yep, that'd be me. Name's Spyro; nice to meetcha, Sheila."

Seeing she was making Spyro uncomfortable, she stepped back with a bounce. "By the gods, I didn' ever think I'd live long enough ta see one'a your kind 'round 'ere. The dragons finally decide ta come back now?"

"Come back? What do you mean?"

"Don' you know? Eh, guess ya wouldn't; yer lookin' a lil' young, if ya don' mind mah sayin'. But yea, dragons used ta rule all'a the worlds here. Then one day, ya left. Poof."

Spyro shot an odd look to Sparx, who clearly missed the same day of Dragon Lore lectures. "Wait, wait, wait: dragons used to live all the way over here?"

"Yea! It was somethin' like a thousan' years ago, I think."

"And...they just left?"

"That's what the stories say," Sheila sighed. "The dragons left 'n all the magic went with'im. Ya go back to the stories 'fore the dragons left, 'n there's magic comin' out the wazoo! Flying ships, singin' forests, wishing stones, the whole kit 'n kaboodle! Obvious we ain' got none'a that 'round here now. I guess it all jus' kinda dried up."

Spyro put together a few pieces in his mind, recalling the broken portal at the top of Sunrise Peak that allegedly led to a speedway. "Is that why some of the portals around here don't work?"

"That'd be mah guess."

"...How's a kangaroo know so much about dragon lore, anyway?"

"Girls c'n have hobbies too, ya know," Sheila teased. "I got three little brothers, I gotta read 'em somethin' 'fore bed." Then the kangaroos' eyes lit up in a panic. "Aw, shoot, mah brothers! I forgot all about 'em!" She gave a quick, bouncy bow. "Look, Spyro, I'd love ta sit 'n chat, but that Sorceress' had me locked up fer a while now, so I gotta bounce home 'n make sure mah brothers are doin' alright. But I owe ya one fer the cage-thing. Anything I can do ta make it up to ya?"

"We're looking for some dragon eggs," Spyro explained. "If ya find any, could you send 'em our way?"

"I'll do ya one better; once my brothers're safe, I'll bounce out 'n tag along ta help ya out. Thanks again, Spahro!"

oo00oo00oo

Sheila took a long breath of her crisp mountain air. She never imagined a day where she'd be alp-sick, but being stuck in a cage with a chattery bear does things to you. Still, she'd trade a thousand years in a cage to blow up another rhynoc sand-castle in Seashell Shore.

The alp wasn't _quite_ as she left it, though. The area was crawling with rhynocs, as was to be expected during a Sorceress take-over. However, the kangaroo could breathe a sigh of relief as she saw her tiny trio of goats hiding behind a nearby patch of trees, all deeply invested in strategy talk that seemed to involve shooting Pete out of a slingshot. "OI! What're you three up to over 'ere?"

The goats all looked up. "SHEILA!"

Billy was the first to get up, rushing to meet his adopted sister. "Sheila, vere in the world vere you? The t'ree of us vere worried sick about you!"

Sheila shrugged. "Eh, pick a fight with the Sorceress 'n pay the price. You three know the deal. You three alright? Nobody broken 'r banged up?"

"Not yet," Pete answered, clearly thankful for Sheila's arrival to nullify their plan.

"Oh, but ve're comin' up with a great plan, Sheila!" Bobby interrupted. "Ve're going to be great Sorceress fighters vone day, jus' like you! You want to come see our plan, ja?"

"...Sure, let's get this over with."

oo00oo00oo

Sheila shot a scolding look up at her little brothers as she crashed down on the last of the rhynoc camps, smashing it under her mighty feet. "An' THAT is how ya clear out a rhynoc camp!" she tsked. (Really, how in the world did they plan on taming a herd of wild moose and stampeding them out of the way? And did they really think that standing on the ledge and going "whoop-whoop-whoop-whoop-whoop!" was going to distract them?)

"Sorry, Sheila..." the triplets sighed sadly.

"Sheila, are you going to help me get zat rock out of my doorway now?" Pete asked once Sheila cleared out the last of the rhynocs and returned to their hiding ledge.

"Why don' you jus' go back to zat rock and kick it until it falls down?" Bobby joked.

"Eh, your stupid rock can wait," Billy interrupted. "I found this giant egg in my house; I think we should make omelets to celebrate the fact that Sheila's back home, ja?"

Sheila was about to agree (being trapped in a cage can work up an appetite), but she screeched to a halt once the idea processed further. "Wait, wait, 'old on a minute. What kind'a egg did you find?"

Billy pulled out the egg in question. It was quite larger than a chicken egg (unless you were comparing it to the giant eggs from Sunny Villa), its shell a pearly shade of white that was dotted with glittering flecks of pinks and blues.

"An' you found this in yer house?" Sheila echoed, swiping the egg for herself.

"I found one just like it!" Bobby volunteered, pulling out a second egg. Pete, although not volunteering it (he had plans to smash it on Billy's house later to pay him back for that headbutt of the cliffs), also pulled out an egg of his own. "They will make good omelets, ja?"

Sheila scooped up the three eggs, rushing them back to Sunrise Springs as fast as her legs could bound. "Sorry, boys, but these 'r important! I got other stuff ta do, but I'll be back home later! DON'T DO ANYTHIN' STUPID WHILE I'M GONE!"

"...But what about my omelet?"

"And what am I supposed to smash on Billy's house now?"

* * *

><p><em>Silly Sheila, we all know they're going to do something stupid while you're gone. XD Add three more dragon eggs and one butt-kicking partner to the mix! What else will our heroes encounter on their journey through the Forgotten Worlds? Find out next week! While you're waiting, make sure to check out my profile and maybe pitch into my multiverse collaboration. :) Thanks for reading, guys, hope you enjoyed!<em>

________**_§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §_**________


	32. A Game of Chicken

_Ahoy, dragonlets! Welcome back to Legacy, where updates apparently happen on Sundays. XD Anyway, apologies for the lateness, ON WITH THE SHOW!  
><em>

**You found a disclaimer!**  
>Spyro the Dragon, both the game and all related characters (c) Insomniac. They own the Spyro that's in this story, so nyeh.<br>Spyro 3: Year of the Dragon, as well as all related characters (c) blah-blah, same copyright.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO: A Game of Chicken<strong>

"PLEASE tell me I didn't just hear that."

"You did."

"PLEASE tell me we're not about to do what I think we're about to do."

"We are."

"PLEASE tell me this is going to be the only weird thing we have to do."

"It's not."

Spyro dropped his head, scraping his horns against the tile in sad, tired frustration. At first, Sunny Villa seemed like a genuinely pleasant place. It was warm, it was sunny, it was well-kept; okay, sure, so there were a few rhynocs around, but that wasn't out of the ordinary, right?

Then Councillor George said it: The rhynocs have kidnapped the mayor. AND THE GIANT CHICKENS.

"For ONCE, can't we just go somewhere normal and not have to do crazy things to save the townsfolk?" Spyro sighed, picking himself up and smashing the rhynocs waiting at the gates.

"Look at it this way, Spyro!" Sparx buzzed, attempting to be the chipper one in this delicate game of hide-and-go-seek. "At least it's never boring, right?"

oo00oo00oo

"A'right, so lemme make sure I got this story straight..."

After a long afternoon of fighting off rhynocs (and the obsessive urge to burn down every cyprus tree in sight), clearing lizards out of the skate park, and helping Roman and Julietta clear up the finer details of a restraining order, Spyro, Hunter, Zoe, and Sheila had run into each other by the town fountain. The heroes decided to take a few minutes to catch up their kangaroo partner on the story of the missing dragon eggs.

"There be a HUNDRED-'N-FIFTY'a these here dragon eggs, just hidin' all over the worlds," Sheila echoed. "An' the rhynocs ain' supposed ta let you have 'em?"

"Not according to Miss Doom and Gloom with the cape," Spyro finished, a sour note on his tongue at the mention of the apprentice.

"Sounds like you ruffled feathers with Bianca," Sheila explained. "She's the Sorceress' numbah-two 'round these parts; does all the stuff the Sorceress can't do from her cushy throne."

"So you think the Sorceress is wrapped up in the egg-napping?" Hunter asked.

"Aw, almost sure of it, mate," Sheila replied. "It's a kinda partnership thing - Sorceress always causes bad stuff ta happen, 'n bad stuff always seems ta happen when the Sorceress is 'round."

"Then it sounds like we better hurry up 'n find the rest of those eggs!"

"How many'a those things have ya found, by the way?"

"...Counting yours? Twelve," Spyro sighed with a slight roll of his eyes. For a moment, he was brought back to his very first adventure, when egg thieves had taken advantage of the dragon captures and broken into the High Caves. Back then, there WERE only twelve dragon eggs.

"We got a long way ta go, don' we?"

Before anyone could reply, the town square shook with stomping feet and the bloodcurdling squawk of a bird. "That's the giant chicken!" Spyro realized, rushing off towards the commotion (and leaving a very confused Hunter and Sheila in his wake).

But the Artisan was too late. He and Sparx cringed at the sight of the mauled, battered chicken, nearly blinded to the large rhynoc's taunting laugh as he looked down upon them and took a grisly, slobbery bite from the chicken's leg. In a moment of righteous fury, Spyro charged for the rhynoc, knocking it down with a mighty blast of his flame breath.

"Oh, thank the gods, the dragons have returned at last!" Mayor Leo cheered, finally able to slip free from his "prison" (that was clearly not a hiding place during the rhynoc takeover) and meet their dragon savior.

"Sorry about your giant chicken," Spyro winced, trying to look away from the mangled mess of blood and feathers.

Mayor Leo looked down at the fallen chicken. "Fantastic! We will feast like kings tonight!"

"B-But I thought I had to-"

"Oh, do not concern yourself, young dragon hero," Leo laughed. "There are more giant chickens where this one comes from!" (Rather than make him feel better, Spyro became more concerned about the idea of tiny locals in togas handling a farm of giant chickens.) "We have plenty of eggs that are ready to be hatched!"

The Mayor pulled out one of the eggs; one painted such a pure shade of white that it couldn't have been a chicken egg in a thousand years, giant or not. "Here, why don't you take one? Giant chickens are fantastic pets, and also make for hearty meals!"

"Uhm...don't worry, I'll take good care of your..._chicken egg._"

oo00oo00oo

Bianca stayed crouched behind her sparse tree cover as she stalked the dragon and his feline lackey through the Sunrise Woods. The rhynocs simply weren't doing their jobs; the kangaroo got loose, they lost Sunny Villa, all of the eggs in Sunrise Springs were gone...

The Sorceress was fuming. It was time for someone more experienced to step in.

The apprentice held her breath as the dragon suddenly pulled to a stop, praying to the gods that he didn't turn towards her. Spyro's eyes darted every which way; he and Sparx could both feel it, that sense of magic that was so desperately missing from the Forgotten Worlds that it stuck out like a sore thumb.

Hunter, on the other hand, kept walking, and found his nose in a pile of grass and dirt as he tripped on Spyro's tail. "Hey, Spyro, what gives?"

The Artisan tried to shush his partner, but Bianca's inopportune laugh at Hunter's folly exposed her. With two pairs of blue eyes focused right on her tree, the robed apprentice had no choice but to step out of hiding and face the fight like a true sorceress.

"Oo~oh, look out, Hunter!" Spyro teased, giving a playful whip of his tail. "It's the big scary Sorceress!"

Hunter played along, laughing, "Hold on, Spyro - I think you mean the big scary Sorceress...'s lackey!"

"Look, I gave you two your fair warning!" Bianca snapped. "The Forgotten Worlds are a big, scary place! It's not a playground for little dragonlets and pussycats."

"Thanks, tall, dark, and trying too hard," Spyro continued to tease. "But like I said, Hunter and I are big boys - we can look after ourselves."

Bianca charged up two handfuls of concentrated energy, throwing them both at the dragon with as much force as she could. "Try looking after THIS!"

Spyro, blessed with the magical resistance and reflexes of a dragon, easily rolled out of the way of the blow. Hunter wasn't so lucky, and the resulting explosion of Bianca's magic sent the cheetah flying backwards, crashing into the ground with several discomforting thuds and a pained groan.

"Hunter!" Concern immediately flared into rage as Spyro turned his sights to the apprentice. Seeing the hunger for blood in the dragon's steely eyes, Bianca realized she had made a terrible mistake. She did the only reasonable thing to do when staring down a raging dragon - RUN.

Spyro gave chase, though, and managed to singe her cape just before she disappeared in another rainbow of sparkles. "Come back when you finish witch school, okay?!" he sneered, blowing another burst of flame and smoke at the spot where she disappeared for good measure.

Once Bianca was gone, the Artisan turned back to Hunter, who was shakily sitting up. "Hunter, you okay? Really sorry about that, man - I think she was aiming for me."

"Eh, I've survived worse," Hunter said, wincing slightly as he stretched what were sure to be fresh bruises in the morning.

"Way to be a soldier, Hunter." Spyro turned to resume their search for the eggs, but noticed that his cheetah partner was holding back. "Uh, Hunter? You comin'?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm comin'. I'm just thinking...Is it just me, or is that sorceress chick kind of cute when she's angry?"

"...I'm going to pretend I didn't just hear you say that."

oo00oo00oo

After the venture through Sunny Villa came the trip to Cloud Spires, Spyro's first real chance to stretch his wings since arriving in the Forgotten Worlds. However, the rhynocs were determined to make this trip through the upper atmosphere as precarious as possible for the still-flightless dragon. His old archnemesis electricity was back, though luckily much easier to dodge this time around, and giant birdnocs were blowing the wind in every direction they could, desperately trying to blow Spyro off the edge of a bellow or a bridge and into the cloudy abyss below.

Pair that with eggs hiding on fiery ledges, stuffed inside of cloud machines, boiling inside of sun pots, and the rhynocs seemed to have the area locked down. But no rhynoc could stand up to the fright that was waiting above the clouds of the spires.

It seemed a simple request at first; the bell-towers were lodged, preventing the cloud-sprites from summoning their storm clouds. Nothing a superfly power-up couldn't fix. (And Spyro was THRILLED to see the ancient originals of the Professor's experiments hiding in the Forgotten Worlds.) But as Spyro and Sparx took to the skies and circled the first bell-tower, they found their mission would not be so simple. At first (and second and third) glance, the towers were in perfect working order; no obstructions, no damage, nothing out of place.

As Spyro flew _through _the tower, though, his wings seized up uncomfortably, and the dragon quickly crashed to the ground. "Ow! What the-"

The Artisan looked up, seeing that the Cloud Spires had disappeared into an uncomfortable darkness, and gave a shiver as a vaguely-familiar cackle rang through his ears. _"You've got guts, young dragon - your legends speak the truth about your talents. In another age, you _MIGHT _actually pose a threat!"_

Spyro gave a cough as the icy air from the Colossus shrine filled his lungs, numbing his chest and weakening his inner flame. "W-What do you want, anyway?" he snapped, trying to keep a strong face as he searched for the black spirit. "Why do you keep following me?"

"_I'm only doing what was asked of me, young dragonlet. There are dark forces in these Realms, magic someone as young as yourself could only dream of comprehending!_"

The spirit appeared in front of Spyro's face with a slobbery laugh, spooking the dragon back a few nervous steps. "_I warned you once, dragon - return home before you get hurt! You don't know what you're dealing with!_"

"I don't need to know what I'm dealing with!" the Artisan huffed. "If there's any "dark forces" in the Dragon Realms, it's my job to get rid of them!" With a desperate breath, Spyro reared back and unleashed a furious flame at the bothersome spirit, who disappeared with a screech as it did in the Colossus Valley. "And that includes you."

With the spirit defeated, the dark void slowly returned to the Cloud Spires, where all of the bells were chiming, as if in celebration of Spyro's conquest. The slumbering cloud awoke with a lazy shiver, right before rocketing into the skies and beginning to pour a friendly rain down upon the Spires.

The dragon flew up to the top of the tallest bell-tower before the superfly enchantment wore off, looking out over the rainy Spires. He had just re-lit their baby sun moments ago, so with the two weather titans sharing the skies, rainbows seemed to pour from every cloud.

It was a moment of beauty, of peace. _And I'll torch ANY dark forces that try to ruin this picture._

* * *

><p><em>Booga-booga, bad guys doing bad guy things. <em>What else will our heroes encounter on their journey through the Forgotten Worlds? Find out next week! While you're waiting, make sure to check out my profile and maybe pitch into my multiverse collaboration. :) Thanks for reading, guys, hope you enjoyed!<em>  
><em>

_________**_§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §_**_________


	33. Speedsters

**You found a disclaimer!**  
>Spyro the Dragon, both the game and all related characters (c) Insomniac. They own the Spyro that's in this story, so nyeh.<br>Spyro 3: Year of the Dragon, as well as all related characters (c) blah-blah, same copyright.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE: Speedsters<strong>

The Tiki Lodge was one of the biggest hot spots of the Forgotten Worlds. Creatures from all over the Sunrise Spring homes knew about the hot parties of the Tiki Lodge: their nightly activities, their festive giveaways, their upbeat soundtrack...between the party atmosphere and the waterfalls of lava, Spyro could've easily mistaken Molten Crater for the Magma Cone. (THAT would be one wild party.)

However, Spyro didn't get his chance to see the Tiki Lodge for himself. The door was locked. Standing up on his hind legs, the Artisan reached high enough to find a scrawly note hammered into the impenetrable door: "Hate to be a party-crasher, but the Tiki Lodge is MINE now! Run along, dragon - you'd need a rocket-launcher to break through THIS wall!"

Spyro tore the note from the door as he read the signature, flaming the paper into oblivion. It was signed by the Sorceress. The fact that she was holding the Tiki Lodge hostage could only mean two things. One, the purple dragon owed Clay an apology. He had quite a bit of a tantrum when he heard that the Crater was being overrun because the local tikis wouldn't leave their precious lodge. Two, she must have hidden eggs in there. Why else work so hard to bar off a simple lodge?

The Sorceress was right, though. The Artisan simply couldn't muscle his way inside, so he'd have to return another time.

This allowed Spyro to pay mind to a more-pressing matter; namely, Moneybags' not-so-nonchalant post outside of another door, which could only mean he was waiting for something. The Artisan assumed he was that 'something', so he glided to the balcony where the bear was waiting. "Sorry, Moneybags, but the lodge is closed right now," he teased. "What're you doing here?"

"Well, I didn't want to waste the trip on being turned away from the Tiki Lodge," Moneybags answered with a stretch. "So these two gentlemen happened to rush by and paid me a small fortune to watch their hideout. Fast little things, they were. You might do well to challenge them to a race."

"Oh, really? What'd they look like? Maybe I saw them."

"Didn't get a good look at their faces, I'm afraid. They were all wrapped up in these cloths, and-"

"...And you could only see their beady, little eyes?"

"Yes, just the ones! Goodness, Spyro, you-"

"And they were super-fast and had really high-pitched, annoying laughs?"

"Well, I wouldn't want to be offensive, but-"

"Were they carrying dragon eggs?"

The bear froze, unsure of how to answer. He hadn't even considered Spyro's quest for the dragon eggs when he agreed to let the thieves hide out on the racetrack. What could he do? _Admit _he was helping two of the unhatchlings be sold on the black magic market? Perhaps he could play dumb; insist there were no dragon eggs at all! Oh, but if Spyro got inside the hideout-

Moneybags' silence told Spyro all he needed to know. "Moneybags, open the door."

"N-Now, Spyro, let's not get testy about this," Moneybags laughed, tugging at his collar to release some steam as he began to sweat from the heat of Spyro's glare. "I-I'm sure that those two are fine, upstanding gentlemen that-"

"Don't play dumb with me, Moneybags!" Spyro snorted, tripping the bear over and jumping on top of him for the ultimate glaredown. "Those are egg thieves in that hideout, and you KNOW it. Now you're gonna open the door and let me chase them down so I can get those eggs back, and I WON'T throw you in the lava pits for endangering a baby dragon, GOT IT?!"

Moneybags stayed speechless as he clamored for the switch and opened the door. If he dared to speak, he couldn't have managed more than a ladylike shriek. With the passage open, Spyro blasted Moneybags with a warning of burning smoke, then turned tail and rushed inside.

The Tiki Lodge Racetrack was yet another of the fantastic adventures that could be had to the lodges' party-hardy members. The tikis didn't understand how or why their track worked the way it did, only that it was fast and almost as much fun to run as it was to watch another tiki run and smash into a wall so hard his head popped off.

Spyro, on the other hand, recognized the track immediately. The glittering arrows were hard to miss, especially after all of the time he spent on them in the High Caves and the Tree Tops. The supercharge, returned to its perfect form, the way he knew it before the Professor's towers took priority in Avalar.

Up until this moment, Spyro struggled to picture the Forgotten Worlds as they were a thousand years ago, still filled with magic and dragons. The supercharge, however, cleared the picture. He could see a young batch of Peacekeeper dragonlets (himself and Flame included) as they'd be brought from the fiery lava pits to practice their charging, seeing dragon after dragon round the course in a blaze of speed and glory.

"Nyeh-nyeh-ne-nyeh-nyeh! Heehehehee!"

Perhaps one day, dragons would return to the Forgotten Worlds. Before that, though, the ones that were stolen had to be returned. And Spyro didn't hesitate for a second to dive after the pair of egg thieves that accidentally showed their faces.

oo00oo00oo

While Spyro was trying to "save" the Tiki Lodge (and clearly not goof off, as Hunter assumed he was), his cheetah sidekick was tackling a much more dangerous task: getting a few laps on the Mushroom Speedway before Spyro could show up. With their collection of twenty dragon eggs, the broken portal at the top of the hill sparked to life, revealing the fabled Mushroom Speedway. Hey, getting a chance to learn the course would be his only chance against Spyro, right? Hunter was naturally fast, and training in the Dragon Realms only enhanced that fact, but no gizmo in the world could help him outfly a dragon.

His weapon of choice this time was a plane, designed to handle like one of the butterflies, who were the local course champions. With his super-souped engine, he stood a chance. And for once, that chance seemed pretty-

_BOOM! _On Hunter's final lap of the race-course, his plane took a terrifying spin downwards as a bright energy blast smashed into his engines and caused him to spiral out of control. After a scream and a panicked grasp for every control he could reach, Hunter just barely got his ship upright and regaining altitude.

The cheetah looked around. The butterflies couldn't have had energy cannons, right? "HEY! Who did that?!"

_WHOOSH! _Hunter was forced to duck as another ship flew straight over his head, shaving a few hairs off of his ears, and pulled an aileron roll to avoid another of those shining energy blasts. The enemy vessel was a UFO, a silver spinning disc that Hunter only saw once before and thought he'd never see again.

And to confirm his suspicions, the top popped open to reveal a sheep, which gave a menacing bleat before retreating into its ship.

Flying sheep saucers, the scourge of Metropolis. According to the Engineer Drone, a herd of fodder-sheep that were brought into the Tundra for Spyro got mixed up in her experiments for the superflame/superfly that eventually helped them send Ripto plummeting to a molten grave. The sheep became super-intelligent, creating an army of UFOs and terrorizing Metropolis with energy cannons...but not before dumping cows into the same accident zone, creating strange, mutant space-cows with the knowledge and ammunition to become laser-masters. (They also could've been the one in charge of the bomb-ox in Centerwing, but the locals were certain it came from a different lab accident.)

The flying sheep fleet was said to be destroyed while Spyro test-ran the superflame/superfly. So why was there a sheep saucer here in the Forgotten Worlds?!

"Alright, Hunter, this is no time to ask questions," the cheetah said, a self-pep talk as he lowered his goggles and reached for his thruster engines. "It's time to be a hero."

Kicking his thrusters to maximum, Hunter blasted off towards the sheep saucer, which shot another energy blast before ducking into the spider tunnels. Hunter sped into the tunnels after it, sending a spray of mini-missiles the sheep's way. (Not that he planned on using those guns against the butterflies or Spyro during the race. At all.) As the chase pulled out of the tunnel, the missile spray left several dents in the wall, right before blowing over a giant dandelion. No luck hitting the sheep, which nearly got another lucky hit as it weaved through the mushroom forest.

Hunter kept up the chase, though. This was his true moment to shine, his chance to be the hero and save the day - the first time he could do so since Spyro's appearance in Avalar the year before. Much like the sheep saucer, Hunter was determined not to let this chance escape.

_BA-BOOM! _With a well-aimed shot, the sheep saucer went down in a flurry of flames. "Aw, yeah!" Hunter cheered. "Who's the man? I'm the man! Who's the man? I'm the man! Who's-"

_Thunk. _"Ow!" The cheetah's moment of self-indulging glory was cut short as a piece of debris from the ship flew into his plane, smashing him in the head. "Y'know what, sheep?!"

Hunter went to throw the debris back, assuming it to be a last-ditch attack. However, he stopped to look before chucking it into the ocean. It wasn't a piece of ship at all, but rather a glistening egg dotted with sparkles of pink and purple.

It was a dragon egg. And if the sheep saucer had it, it could only mean one thing: they'd be back.

* * *

><p><em>Sorry for the lack of witty banter; it's a sleepy Saturday at TMHQ. XD Anyway, join us next week and see where our heroes' adventure takes them! <em><em>While you're waiting, make sure to check out my profile and maybe pitch into my multiverse collaboration. :) Thanks for reading, guys, hope you enjoyed!<em>_  
><em>

__________**_§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §_**__________


	34. Trouble on the SS Seashell

**You found a disclaimer!**  
>Spyro the Dragon, both the game and all related characters (c) Insomniac. They own the Spyro that's in this story, so nyeh.<br>Spyro 3: Year of the Dragon, as well as all related characters (c) blah-blah, same copyright.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR: Trouble on the SS Seashell<strong>

"Come on, it's over this way!"

After meeting Sebastian at the portal to Seashell Shore, the young seal recruit was quick to escort Spyro through the Seashell Reef, bringing him into the underwater labyrinth that was the seal hideaway. Which, as the Artisan noticed, was overrun by sailors and scubanocs.

Sebastian led him to a small bone cage, where the rest of the seal recruits were trapped. Sheila gave strict instructions to find the seals as soon as possible, as they were some of the best and brightest rhynoc resistance in all of Sunrise Spring. However, it seemed that the rhynocs had finally struck back.

Spyro shot a look to Sebastian. "They stole a rhynoc submarine," he explained. "We're trying to develop our sub technology, so we took one of theirs to get a look. Unfortunately, they wrecked it into our hideaway. The rhynocs weren't too happy about that."

The Artisan swam over to the door, inspecting it with his claws. "No good, Spyro, I've tried to blow these doors down every way I know how," Sebastian tsked. "We need our big ammo for taking out the rhynoc stronghold up on dry land, so we don't have any to spare for this. The only way ta get 'em out is to beat back the rhynocs and see if we can find the key. Or at least another submarine to wreck!"

oo00oo00oo

Sebastian and Spyro made their way through the rhynoc-infested Shore, fighting back sailors with metal barrels of gunpowder and ramming down every scubanoc that tried to stand in their way. Finally, they made their way into the back of the aquatic labyrinth (as much as Spyro was hoping that they could finish the fight on dry land), where they found the rhynoc hideaway and a guard octopus keeping watch.

...Keeping watch while spinning one of the seals around by his head.

The Artisan hero rushed into the fray, bashing the octopus straight in the head and scaring it off after it surrendered the young seal. "Ha, it worked!" Stanley cheered. "All according to plan!"

Spyro gave the young seal a confused look. Stanley snickered, pulling out a ring of seashell-embroidered keys. "I got the octopus to drop the keys to the cell while he was shaking me." The seal waved for Spyro to follow, then swam through the small tunnel system connecting the two hideaways, using the ring of stolen keys to open the door and free the captive seals.

Spyro also noticed a dragon egg in the tunnel and swam to retrieve it. "Oh, yeah, I stole that out of a rhynoc's lunchbox," Stanley explained. "Why? You hungry for breakfast?"

Spyro shook his head, then clumsily tried to pantomime that they were dragon eggs. "Oh...so you...need those?" The Artisan nodded suspiciously, giving Stanley a demanding look.

"Well...Let's just say you need to go see Sandy..."

oo00oo00oo

Some breeds of dragons can breathe underwater just fine. However, being able to survive doesn't mean those dragons are fully aqua-capable. Dragons can't use their breath abilities underwater (unless they're water dragons, who can use their bubble breath just fine), and they can't speak.

Imagine Spyro's frustration as he kicked and screamed in the watery tunnels of the seal labs, only having a flurry of bubbles to show for it.

Sandy, the seal engineer, carefully peeked out from behind their machines when the raging dragon began to calm down. "H-Hey, Spyro, look at the bright side! T-The egg's not broken, right?"

Spyro gave a bubbly huff, then paddled over to the ultra-high-speed-super-fluidity tunnel. In hopes of perfecting their submarine designs, Sandy decided to experiment on the hydrodynamics of an egg, launching it through a high-speed water current loaded with sea-mines. Not realizing that the "pelican egg" they launched was actually a dragon egg.

The Artisan scratched at the door to the tunnel. "You wanna go in after it?" Sandy echoed. Spyro nodded. "You sure, Spyro? It could be kind of dangerous - t-this tunnel wasn't designed for living creatures to-"

The dragon gave a silent snarl, blowing Sandy over with a wave of bubbles. "Okay, okay, I'm opening it!" the seal jumped, rushing to the computer and throwing open the aqua-lock.

The doors rushed open, revealing a dark tunnel with rushing jet streams covering the walls. Spyro tried to be cautious, but the second his paw passed into their ultra-speed...fluid, eh, whatchamacallit tunnel, the dragon was rushed off into the darkness. The jets immediately filled his wings, pushing him forward at an uncontrollable pace.

Which almost spelt disaster as he turned a corner and found one of the aforementioned sea-mines. Spyro threw himself to the other wall, just barely sliding past the sea-mine's spines, and ducked his head down at the next straightaway. The only way to gain control was to rush straight for the end of the tunnel, so Spyro tucked back his wings and swam, trying to keep his head down and legs tight to stay as hydrodynamic as possible.

So Artisans were good at aquaphysics. Who knew?

Ducking and dodging the sea of mines, Spyro eventually slid into a dark area where the current gave way. He shook his head, not realizing how loud the rushing water jets were until he was on the other side of them, watching the wall of bubbles at the spot where the jets collided and fizzled out.

Looking around the area of calm, Spyro saw a glint of white in the corner. He rushed to its aid, immediately checking the precious treasure for any kind of damage. There was no way he was going back to the Dragon Realms with only 149 eggs. Luckily, the egg didn't have a scratch on it - fairy magic at its finest, of course. (Good thing dragon eggs were enchanted to be nearly-indestructible. This year's herd would need as much help as they could get.)

Spyro grabbed the egg and swam through the calmer waters until he returned to the testing lab, not bothering to address Sandy on his way out. Which allowed the engineer to start his plans for the new batch of egg-shaped submarines.

oo00oo00oo

While Spyro was rescuing seals and dragon eggs, Sheila had bigger fish to fry. Okay, so they weren't really fish, they were rhynocs, but you get the drift.

The kangaroo took a long breath of the beachy Shore air. "Man, there's nothin' I love more than the smell'a singed rhynoc in the mornin'!"

"Calm down, Sheila," Snappy laughed. "Don't worry, they'll get what's comin' to 'em! We just need a way to get inside that fortress with our bombs..."

"Need a way ta get inside?" Sheila echoed with a raised eyebrow. "C'mon, Snappy, jus' run up ta the doors 'n pitch 'em inside! What's the deal?"

"THOSE are the big deal," Snappy argued, pointing to the patrolling scubanocs and their army of cannon turrets. "With that kind of heavy fire, we'd never get inside! We need to find some way to take them out first!"

Sheila kicked up a little sand as she bounded out into the battlefield. "If 'at's all ya needed, Snappy, ya should'a jus' said somethin'!"

The kangaroo bounced up to one of the scubanocs, who happened to be patrolling extra-close to a cannon turret. "G'day, mate!" she introduced cheerily. "Fancy cannons ya got there!"

The scubanoc gave a smarmy smirk, giving the turret a tap with his shovel. "Yep, these bad boys are built to last. We had to make sure the whole castle was dragon-proof - Sorceress' orders."

"Dragon-proof, eh? Mind if I try ta knock it down?"

"Huh?" _KA-POW! _Sheila reared back and smashed the scubanoc, both feet first, sending it flying backwards into the sand-castle, where it crumbled the blocks protecting the turret. Once the cannon was exposed, Sheila hopped on top of it, flipping mid-air before crashing into it with her mighty weapons of mass kicking. In a hot explosion, the cannon exploded into smithereens.

"Dragon-proof, eh?" the kangaroo snickered, bouncing off towards the next turret. "Next time, spring the extra fer some kangaroo-proofin'!"

After Sheila did her rounds, the delta squad moved in. Snappy and his back-up seals ran inside the fortress, each armed with a ticking box of explosives. The seals scattered the bombs before running out of the building...

Except that Snappy noticed something hidden at the center of the base. Something white and shiny. With only a split-second to recognize the item and react, Snappy ran back for it, diving on top and holding it tight. There was no time to grab it and run. He would die, but at least the egg would-

_BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM! _The fortress filled with clouds of fire as the bombs went off, crumbling its sand walls and steel doors. Snappy could feel the scorching flames lick at his delicate skin, but while he felt the heat, he didn't feel the burn. The dragon egg beneath him pulsated with a comforting chill, like an ice cream on a hot day. Its magical energies rushed through Snappy's veins, keeping him cool and calm as the explosion shook the Shore.

Sheila and the rest of the delta squad rushed over to the debris as soon as the danger had passed. "Snappy, what were you THINKIN'?!" Sheila scolded. "Sittin' in a buildin' full'a live bombs, 'r you a rhynoc short'a the full paddock 'r what?!"

"Yeah, not one of my smarter moves," Snappy laughed nervously. Once back on his flippers, he pulled out the egg. "But, uh...I think Spyro's gonna be lookin' for this."

oo00oo00oo

With the rhynocs defeated, the seals rescued, the eggs found, the fortress downed, and the dreaded KP duty avoided, Spyro and Sheila could finally return to Sunrise Springs.

With all of the homeworlds saved from the rhynoc menace and thirty-three of the eggs recovered, it was time to work on their next big plan: building something that would get them to the next realm so they could get back to Sorceress stomping!

* * *

><p><em>I love Sunny Shore. XD Hope I did it justice. <em>Anyway, join us next week! Those of you playing along at home know there's excitement to be had on the Sunrise balloon ride. :)<em> <em>And as always, while you're waiting, make sure to check out my profile, my other stories, and maybe pitch into my multiverse collaboration. :D Thanks for reading, guys, hope you enjoyed!<em>__  
><em>

__________**_§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §_**__________


	35. Whip Up a Monster

****You found a disclaimer!**  
><strong>Spyro the Dragon, both the game and all related characters (c) Insomniac. They own the Spyro that's in this story, so nyeh.  
>Spyro 3: Year of the Dragon, as well as all related characters (c) blah-blah, same copyright.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE: Whip Up a Monster<strong>

"Listen carefully, you STUPID girl! I'm only going to ask you ONE MORE TIME. Why haven't you disposed of that infernal dragon?!"

Bianca stepped back nervously, eyes to the ground. Once the Sorceress got wind that a dragon snuck through the tunnels, all of Midnight Mountain shook with her fury. And her rage only continued to grow as reports came in of rhynocs being cleared out of Sunrise Springs and dragon eggs continuing to go missing from their hiding spots.

Of course, this was completely Bianca's fault.

"L-Look, I'm sorry, Your Majesty," Bianca apologized shyly. "I-I've tried to scare him off, but...the dragon's just not afraid of anything!"

"Not afraid?!" The Sorceress banged her staff against the marble floor. "Why have I been training you all these years, you useless rabbit?! USE. **YOUR**. _**MAGIC**_!"

Suddenly feeling a bit faint, the old royal calmed down, putting a scaly paw to her head. She was in no condition to be throwing such fits. (Ugh, just think of the disgusting wrinkles it would put on her brow.) Deciding to give her apprentice one last chance, the Sorceress went to her shelves, then pulled out one of her many spellbooks. "Here, take this," she instructed, throwing the book to Bianca. "Whip up a monster, and eliminate the dragon."

Bianca's eyes lit up. The Sorceress had every magical tome in the Forgotten Realms. It was her personal library, the reason she was the most magical being in all the worlds. They were some of the most prized valuables anywhere, and finally, she had her hands on one of them. She flipped through the pages, almost in awe of the book's grandeur, admiring the impressive script of the old draconic tongue that she spent her whole life studying...

Then she heard the Sorceress' orders. _Eliminate the dragon. _"Wait, you...y-you want me to, uh..." She gave a nervous gulp. "Kill him?"

The Sorceress gave another frustrated sigh. Being the most studious witch in Midnight Mountain didn't make Bianca the brightest apprentice she could've wished for. "I don't care WHAT you do, you useless brat! Just get rid of him!"

The young rabbit sighed with a slight shake, looking through the spellbook once more. She didn't LIKE the dragon in any sense of the word, but...could she really bring herself to kill him?

Well, whether she could or not, she'd have to give it a try. "Alright, this ought to do the trick."

Bianca peeked down the hall, finding a few rhynocs preparing the penguin cage before shipping it to Midday Gardens. She snapped to get their attention, then pointed out the gardener in the front. "You! Come here."

She dragged the clueless rhynoc back into the throne room, then quietly muttered the incantations before throwing a transfiguration spell at her hapless victim.

_SCHING! _The Sorceress hung her head as the rhynoc turned into a tiny bunny. "Enunciate your F's, Bianca," she instructed. "And you have to be more aggressive with your gestures. Gemcrafting is high-leveled magic."

"Sorry!" Making sure to correct her mistakes, Bianca repeated the spell. This time, the bunny went up in a huge flash of light, transforming into a wicked, slimy beast. It gave a hungry growl, bouncing as if ready to get into a fight that very moment...

The Sorceress still didn't look impressed. It took Bianca a few looks to notice the bunny ears on its head. "Whoops."

oo00oo00oo

Having added a beautiful hot-air balloon to their team, Hunter, Sheila, and Spyro made the long flight towards the next of the Forgotten Worlds, the Midday Gardens. The seals had said that more rhynocs were pouring into the area, trying to protect a shipment of eggs and other "top-secret cargo", so it seemed the best place to head for some world-saving.

"Huntah, you sure we goin' the right way?"

...At least, that was their goal.

"You said to fly due east, right?" Hunter echoed. "That's where the wind was blowing when we left."

"You don' think the wind started blowin' some other way af'er we left?" Sheila asked, nervously watching the skies darken around them.

"Uhm...why?"

Spyro shushed his co-pilots, gently unfurling his wings to feel the wind under them. It had picked up a few minutes ago, just as the skies began to darken and the air began to heat up. Plenty familiar with wind magic, Spyro could identify the change immediately. "Sheila's right, Hunter," the dragon deduced. "Someone enchanted the current."

"Which means the Sorceress is tryin' ta blow us off-cours-AAH!"

Sheila's accusation, although correct, was quickly interrupted when the wind shifted drastically, a heavy draft of hot air smothering the mechanics of their balloon, sending it crashing down just past the rocky grounds outside of Midnight Mountain, to where a lava-pit lie in waiting for them.

The balloon crash-landed on the edge of an arena - a trap any of them could've seen coming from a mile away - where a large, green beast was waiting for them. It slobbered with a hungry chuckle, scraping its meaty paws against the arena floor in preparation for battle. Its razor-sharp frill glinted in the light of the lava, and its malformed fingers tensed against the hot, smoky air.

"Sahprise, sahprise," Sheila tsked. "An ambush."

"Hunter, Sheila, you two get to the balloon and get it fixed as soon as possible," Spyro commanded, stepping forward to meet the Sorceress' trap. The longer they were balloonless, the longer the flightless heroes were trapped. "I'll hold off the drooling buzz-saw here."

Hunter, easily the most mechanically-minded of the three, jumped straight to his assigned role. (It had been quite some time since their initial scrap in Avalar; the cheetah was much more accepting of Spyro's leadership now.) Sheila, on the other hand, bounded out and slid in front of Spyro. " 'old on jus' a second, Spahro! You ain' fightin' Mr. Big, Green, 'n Scary by yerself!"

"Sheila, this really isn't the time-"

"I know, so get ta schemin'!" she countered, bouncing off in an attempt to distract the monster's attention.

As much as Spyro hated other people being reckless and endangering themselves (come on, that was his job!), now wasn't the time to argue with the feisty kangaroo. Instead, the Artisan turned to the green monstrosity, who paid no mind to Sheila. His eyes were focused right on the dragon as he charged forward, nearly shaking the heavy stone arena with his blubbery footfalls.

Spyro rushed forward to meet him, burying his horns deep into the monster's rubbery flesh when they made contact. The monster tumbled backwards, more thrown back by the dragon's momentum than the attack itself. After taking a second to recompose, it charged again. The pattern continued, two beasts of the Realms in a locked combat, continually nudging the other closer and closer to the ring like a high-stakes game of Dragonsumo...

_SPLASH! _Finally, Spyro won the match, sending the slobbering beast flying into the lava. It struggled for a moment, not quite feeling the pain through his layers of slime and blubber, but still quite stuck in the lava's dense form. They would need something more, some way to hurt the creature somewhere sensitive enough to attack.

"Look out, Spahro!" Sheila saw her opportunity and jumped in. She leapt off of the arena's edge, landing squarely on the creature's head (being careful not to slice her feet on its frill). With a light bounce, she hopped high into the air, doing a backflip and smashing the monster's face into the lava.

The Sorceress' trap let out a mighty cry as it threw back its head, giving Sheila the leverage to return to the arena. After a flail of pain and burning agony, the monster freed itself from its magma prison, rolling back onto the safety of the arena. With a mighty growl, it curled up into the tightest ball it could manage, letting off a flurry of sparks as it began to spin like a wild saw-blade.

Spyro and Sheila only had a few seconds to react before Buzz took off, staying as close to the outside as they could as the spinning creature chased them around the arena, barely managing to stay a few steps ahead. The dragon slid to a stop when the ear-shattering buzzing stopped, finding that the monster had given up on its trick. However, the heat of the friction gave it a new weapon to abuse: a circle of flame. Noticing its new attack, the creature gave a hearty laugh, then reared back and spat. The flames dispersed into a fan of fire, heading straight in Spyro's direction.

The young hero kicked into the air, gliding down towards Buzz and easily avoiding the flames. "Nice trick, Slimy! I can do that one, too!" Spyro clumsily landed on Buzz's front, just long enough to blast the monster in the face with his own breath of flame. The creature cried out, flailing its useless arms in pain. With the enemy disoriented, Spyro gave it another smash with his horns, sending it tumbling back into the lava.

While it was stunned and unable to squirm, Sheila circled around and jumped over to it again. With a second mighty smash, she buried the monster deep within its lava dwelling. The magma became too much to overcome, and as the kangaroo safely returned to the arena, Buzz slowly sank into a fiery grave.

"That was a little too close fer comfert," Sheila sighed, fanning herself. "But that big lug wasn' so tough."

"I'll say; that was some fancy footwork on your part, Sheila."

"Comin' from someone fast as you, I reckon that's worth somethin'."

"Hey, you guys done playing tag with the Sorceress' goon yet?" Hunter called from the uprighted balloon. The wind also changed pace once the trio was reloaded for take-off, now pointing towards Midday Gardens once more. "Come on, we got some Gardens to save!"

* * *

><p><em>I probably like Buzz's Dungeon more than I should. That fight's so fun compared to the agonizing slug-fests that come up later in the game. x.O Anyway, make sure to tune in next week, and <em><em><em><em> as always, while you're waiting, make sure to check out my profile, my other stories, (oh, and please come vote on my Legacy poll!), and maybe pitch into my multiverse collaboration. :D Thanks for reading, guys, hope you enjoyed!<em>___  
><em>

__________**_§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §_**__________


	36. Sparx's World

****You found a disclaimer!**  
><strong>Spyro the Dragon, both the game and all related characters (c) Insomniac. They own the Spyro that's in this story, so nyeh.  
>Spyro 3: Year of the Dragon, as well as all related characters (c) blah-blah, same copyright.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX: Sparx's World<strong>

The Midday Gardens welcomed our battle-worn heroes with inviting sunshine wrapped in a cooling breeze. They were quickly greeted by the Gardens Lake, and after such a heated battle with Buzz, even the once-hydrophobic dragon was eager to take a dip. The Gardens were alive with color, from the flowers that filled the grasses to the beautiful clouds in the sky. The ones above the lake in particular seemed to be dotted by a rainbow.

_SCHING! SCHWING! _A rainbow that was heading straight for them.

The heroes backed up and braced themselves as the rainbow made its landing, their new favorite apprentice stepping out of the spell. "Alright, dragon, I'll give it to you - you've lasted longer than I thought."

"Does that mean I win a bet?" Spyro teased.

"Not quite. You don't have the slightest idea what's coming for you next. You think the armies in Sunrise Springs were tough? It'll only get worse from here."

The young Artisan, who personally thought the rhynocs in Sunrise Spring were fairly simple to defeat, lazily stretched his shoulders. "Ooh, yeah, that sounds real scary," he yawned. "I'm shaking in my scales."

Bianca gave a frustrated huff. "Look, dragon, I'm giving you one last chance. Get your cat friend and the eggs that you've found and go home already. You think I'm doing this to waste my breath? I'm warning you, it's for your own good."

"Go home already? Come on, we just got here!" With a flick of his tail, Spyro ran off to begin his exploration of the Midday Gardens. "Besides, I'd be grounded for a month if I went home with less than half the eggs! Sorry, Bianca, but no deal!"

oo00oo00oo

After a long day of target practice, exploration, chasing thieves, and all sorts of other adventures, our heroes could retire for the night with five more eggs safely returned to the Dragon Realms. "You think that Bianca chick meant what she said earlier?" Hunter asked as he and Spyro made camp by the edge of the Gardens Lake. (Sheila went ahead without them; she said something about visiting some friends in a swamp and sitting in on a poetry slam.)

Spyro gave a yawn, curling up and nuzzling his head into his paws. "Eh, you know how bad guys are," he shrugged. "They'll say whatever they gotta to make you leave 'em alone." He opened a tired, navy eye, just to peer over at the star-gazing cheetah next to him. "Why you so hung up on her, anyway?"

Hunter shrugged. "I'm not. She's just kind of cute, that's all."

"I didn't know you were into evil sorceresses."

"Well, you don't look like the type that's into fauns." Spyro swiped a patch of grass, blowing the debris into Hunter's face. "What?!"

"Quit doin' that, it's getting annoying," Spyro tsked, tucking his paw back in.

"Doing what?"

"Bringing up Elora like that."

"What, you don't like her or something?"

"I do, just as a friend. Dragon warriors don't have time for love and girlfriends and all of that mushy stuff. I can't take a girl out on dates or whatever while I'm busy finding dragon eggs and returning stolen treasure and torching bad guys and all of that saving-the-world stuff."

"...You know she's got a MAJOR crush on you, right?"

"Good night, Hunter."

oo00oo00oo

Heroes may need sleep, but their attention is needed around the clock. Zoe just hoped that she wasn't being _too _much of a bother as she fluttered down to where Hunter and Spyro were sleeping in the middle of the night.

Ever the vigilant dragonfly, Sparx was nudged from his sleep as Zoe approached his dragon, though tingling dragonfly senses didn't always make for the most effective alarm. He gave a few annoyed buzzes, none particularly coherent, and the young fairy flew backwards to give the heroes more personal space. "Sorry, Sparx, wasn't trying to wake you!" she whispered nervously.

"No, I love getting up in the middle of the night," Sparx buzzed with a yawn, drowsily flying up to the top of the Midday Bridge, where he and Zoe could talk without bothering Spyro and Hunter. (Not that they were the lightest sleepers in the Forgotten Worlds, but it was the courtesy that counted.) "What's up, Zoe?"

"I was looking around Sunrise Springs to make sure we didn't forget anything," Zoe explained, taking a seat on the arch. "A-And I found this little hole, and on the other side, I found a dragon egg!"

Sparx's eyes lit up as he awoke at the mention of an egg. "Great, so that's one more found!"

Zoe bit her lip. "Not...quite."

"Eh?"

"I went to go grab the egg, but the Sorceress hid it in the center of a crawdad farm," the young fairy shrugged with a blush. "I-I tried to get it, really I did! But I couldn't fight off all those crawdads by myself, so I couldn't get it."

"Alright, no problem," Sparx answered, trying to calm the nervous fairy. "We'll tell Spyro in the morning, and-"

Zoe shook her head. "I looked everywhere. There's no WAY Spyro and Hunter can get in; there just aren't any passages big enough."

"So...how are we supposed to get the dragon egg?"

"Well, I, uh...thought maybe..." Zoe put on the best smile she could manage, putting a pleading sparkle in her bright blue eyes. "You could go in and get it?"

"Me?!" Sparx jumped into the air, taken aback by the idea. "Fly into a crawdad farm? Rescue a dragon egg? By myself?!"

"Sparx, you and I are the only ones who can get inside!" Zoe pleaded. "Dragonflies are magic, right?"

"Yeah, but-"

"You can fight off a few little crawdads, right? You're not up against full-size rhynocs or anything, right?"

"I could, but-"

"Come on, Sparx, do it for the dragon egg! Ple~ase?"

Sparx sighed. Arguing with a fairy was nearly impossible, especially when they had a good point. "Alright, alright. No promises I'll get the egg, but I'll try. But you're the one breaking the news to Spyro if something goes wrong."

"Don't worry, I will!" Zoe giggled, dropping down to Spyro and Hunter's camp. "Come on, let's just tell Spyro and-whoa!"

Sparx grabbed Zoe, dragging her back to the top of the bridge. "Oh, no, we're not telling Spyro," the dragonfly insisted.

"Why not?"

"If Spyro knows I'm gone, he'll have a panic attack! I'm his dragonfly, I'm not supposed to just disappear without him! Especially if I'm going to go play hero and leave him out in the open like this!"

"Then what do we do?"

Sparx looked up, quickly calculating the time by using the stars. "Think we can make it to Sunrise Spring and back before morning?"

"Absolutely; I can use my fairy magic to zap us straight into the farm."

"Then come on, we'll just have to sneak off and hope we get back before they notice we're gone."

oo00oo00oo

"LOOKOUTLOOKOUTLOOKOUTLOOKOUT!"

Sparx and Zoe ducked behind a corner, pausing to catch their ragged breath once they had escaped the mobs of crawdads. Zoe saw a few enemies by the missing egg, but she didn't take the rest of the farm into account. The area was CRAWLING with crabs and crawdads, all of them deadset on destroying the intruding dragonfly.

"Why did I let you talk me into this?" the grassy-green hero groaned, dropping to the ground to rest his wings. Luckily, being the dragonfly of the fastest dragon in the Artisans came with a certain level of training - namely, being the fastest dragonfly in the Artisans, which was serving Sparx well in his mad dash to escape the skittering swarms of baddies.

Zoe also sat, nervously biting her lip. "I'm sorry, Sparx," she pouted. "I-I didn't...I mean, I wouldn't have said anything if..."

Sparx looked over and tried to pick himself back up upon seeing the upset fairy. "Hey, hey, it's fine. Last thing we need right now is for you to start cryin' or somethin'."

"I just wish I could do something to help, that's all."

"Don't worry about it, I'm fine...ish." The tired dragonfly stretched his tail. "I could just go for some food; little pick-me-up and I'd be all over this."

Zoe's eyes lit up. "Right! Dragonfly fodder, how'd I forget?" With a flick of her wand, the fairy summoned a small zap, which fizzled into a single pink-and-yellow butterfly.

Sparx jumped to attention, snatching the butterfly mid-flutter, enjoying its sweet and magical nectar as it filled him up, restoring his glow to a healthy (or at least health_ier_) shade of blue. All dragonflies depended on fodder to survive and continue protecting their dragon companions, but Sparx was a particular sucker for the treats, munching on them even when he and Spyro were the picture of health. It's a bad habit you pick up when your dragon companion chases down sheep-herds for fun. What else is a dragonfly to do when the sky fills with munchies? "Aw, man, does that hit the spot!" he purred.

Zoe giggled at the reaction a simple butterfly garnered. "You're welcome."

Swallowing the remains of his snack, Sparx took to the air again and moved forward into the next chamber of the farms. "Alright, so come on! The sooner we find that dragon egg, the sooner we can-"

Dragonfly and fairy moved forward, only to skid to a stop as they reached the final chamber. The dragon egg was in sight, but unfortunately, it sat behind a large, imposing crawdad. The snapping beast was easily the size of a dragonlet, with pincers that could've torn either of them in two. And said pincers were pointing right for them.

"Zoe, go hide," Sparx instructed, trying to gauge the opponent.

"Sparx, what are you-"

The dragonfly had no choice but to ram her aside when a pair of fireballs launched straight for them, just barely moving her out of the blast. Needless to say, Zoe didn't argue and immediately found a safe place to hide.

Sparx, on the other hand, spun around quick, firing a barrage of flyfire in the crawdad's direction. All dragonflies had special abilities tied to the breed of their dragon. Though Sparx rarely used his, much preferring to let Spyro do all the hard work, it was times like this he thanked the ancestors that his companion was a fire-breath.

The barrage made its mark, and the crawdad's flame-blasting claws went up in a fit of fire and smoke. Thinking the danger was gone, Sparx made a beeline for the dragon egg. However, the crawdad wouldn't have this, and as it reared back, a pair of red rockets shot from its clawless arms, both spiraling straight for Sparx.

The dragonfly just barely managed to charge out of their way, watching the explosives wreck holes in the surrounding wall structure. With a frustrated groan, he U-turned around the egg, jumping back into a fire-fight with the crawdad king.

The two exchanged a few barrages, but eventually, the crawdad's arms crumpled in the same manner as its claws, leaving little more than a body to protect the stolen egg. Sparx couldn't help himself, and the cocky attitude he learned from Spyro shone through. "Aw, what's the matter, Mr. Lobster-Man?" he buzzed condescendingly. "Can't fire your big, scary rockets without your little arms 'n big, scary pinchers?"

The crawdad wriggled menacingly, then reared back and unleashed a dragon-like flame, sending Sparx into a panicked flutter to avoid it. "Okay, okay, so maybe you don't!"

It took another rush of fire-fighting, (including one round that managed to scorch Sparx's tail), but eventually, Sparx's flyfire managed to take down the Crawdad King, as the mighty creature finally fell beneath the might of the intruding dragonfly.

Sparx breathed a long sigh of relief once the crawdad farm showed its first sign of silence since they had arrived. "That was WAY too close."

"Yeah, but Sparx, look!" Zoe flew over to the dragon egg. "We found it!"

Sparx couldn't help but groan as he flew over to join the redheaded fairy. "Whoopee, only a hundred and ten to go."

"Hey, fourty eggs safe and sound is better than none, right?"

"Yeah, but a hundred and fifty safe sounds even better." Sparx carefully sat down on the just-saved egg. "Whoever this egg hatches to be, they owe me one, big time."

"Whoa!" The dragonfly was quickly kicked from his seat as the dragon egg gave a small twitch, rocking just enough to make a dent in the sand it sat in. "Uhm...are dragon eggs supposed to do that?"

"Not really," Zoe swallowed, tapping the egg with her wand to send it back to the Dragon Realms. "The dragonlets must be getting antsy. The Year of the Dragon celebration is almost over. Still, it should be alright. Dragon eggs don't just hatch on their own; it takes an incredible amount of magic to hatch them."

Sparx thought back to the story Delbin told of Spyro's mysterious hatching three years prior to the last Year of the Dragon. "Right, nobody ever heard of that happening."

oo00oo00oo

The skies were just beginning to show the first glimmers of pink and gold as Zoe and Sparx fluttered back to the Midday Gardens. Hunter was in a much stranger position and teethering on the edge of the lake, but other than that, the heroes were undisturbed. "Phew, we made it," Sparx sighed.

"Thanks again for all the help, Sparx," Zoe smiled.

"Eh, don't worry about it," Sparx shrugged. "Just doin' the hero thing." He gave a light yawn, then quietly fluttered back over to his slumbering dragon-brother. "If you don't mind, though, I'mma get a little shut-eye before Spyro wakes up."

Zoe did the dragonfly a favor, summoning one last butterfly, which Sparx quickly U-turned to devour. "Alright, sleep tight, Sparx. I'll see you and Spyro around later, okay?" Sparx gave a nod, mouth too full of butterfly to respond any other way, and the redheaded fairy vanished.

As he swallowed the snack, finally restored to his proper shade of gold, Sparx took a moment to look down at his dragon companion before cozying into bed. Spyro hadn't moved so much, though the slight changes were noticable to an old pro like Sparx. His tail was unfurled, which meant Spyro was hot and uncomfortable. His claws were dirty, and the ground near his front paws was torn up and scratched away, which meant the young dragon was scraping the ground in his sleep - one of Spyro's few secret nervous ticks.

Sparx resettled into his usual sleeping spot, right under Spyro's frill. And he had just began to doze off when a familiar twitch of Spyro's horn awoke him. "Sparx?"

The dragonfly gave a tired groan. "Sparx isn't here right now, leave a message after the buzz."

"Spa~arx..." One-syllable Spyro was just being pesky and shaking him out of bed for fun. Extra-syllable Spyro was genuinely trying to get his attention.

"Wha~at?"

"Did you...go somewhere last night?"

"No. Why?"

Spyro shrugged with a hum. "Didn't sleep last night, that's all. Anxious 'bout somethin' 'r somethin'."

Sparx almost had to laugh. He wasn't sure which one of them sounded more tired. "Spyro, you're fine. Go to bed."

Satisfied that his dragonfly was returned to his proper place, Spyro's paws and tail refolded to their natural positions. "A'right..." he yawned, burying his snout, using a loose paw to cover his eyes from the slowly-rising sun. "G'night, bro. Sorry ta wake ya."

_If only he knew. _"G'night, Spy."

* * *

><p><em>And on this day, Sparx became useful. XD As always, <em>make sure to tune in next week, and<em><em><em><em> while you're waiting, make sure to check out my profile (and PLEA~SE vote in my Legacy poll!), my other stories, and maybe pitch into my multiverse collaboration. :D Thanks for reading, guys, hope you enjoyed!<em>____  
><em>

__________**_§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §_**__________


	37. Byrds on the Battlefield

****You found a disclaimer!**  
><strong>Spyro the Dragon, both the game and all related characters (c) Insomniac. They own the Spyro that's in this story, so nyeh.  
>Spyro 3: Year of the Dragon, as well as all related characters (c) blah-blah, same copyright.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN: Byrds on the Battlefield<strong>

"Moneybags, let him go."

"No."

"Moneybags."

"Sorry!"

"Seriously, let him go."

Spyro was some mix of frustrated and horrified when he saw another cage being carted into Midday Gardens; by Moneybags, no surprise. The cage contained a small bird, tied up at the beak, with small metal attachments on its shoulders, adding to the military look of his helmet.

"I'm sorry, Spyro, but this little jail-bird just has to stay put!" Moneybags insisted. "The Sorceress caught this troublemaker setting off rockets in her fireworks factory! He's a total nuisance that'll blow us all to smithereens if I let him loose!"

Still, Spyro's heart sank a bit at the sight of the creature struggling to escape its bindings. "Oh, come on, Moneybags, you can't even give him to me? What if I _promise _not to let him go off and cause trouble? The Sorceress will never know he's gone!"

Moneybags pondered the idea for a bit. (His goal in the whole argument was to lure Spyro into this moment of weakness.) "Well...I suppose I could negotiate something with the Sorceress...if someone were to pay for his..._outstanding _fines and damages..."

Spyro sighed. He should've just handed Moneybags a sack of gems in the first place. "Name your price."

"Seven-hundred."

"Done."

The posh bear couldn't help but crack an unsettling chuckle as Sparx handed him the bag of shimmering dragon treasure. "Oh, Spyro, you're such a sucker...erhm, for the weak and defenseless! Right, your generosity knows no bounds! It is a far better thing you do today, Spyro, then you have ever done, and...ehr, you know, et cetera, so on and so forth."

Moneybags opened the cage and freed the bird inside, allowing the penguin to rush out, jumping into the air to stretch its wings before coming to a landing in front of Spyro. He gave a stern salute; standard protocol to address someone of higher authority, at least by the rules of Peacekeepers militia. "The name is Byrd, Sergeant Byrd, 90068. Awaiting orders, sir!"

Spyro almost laughed, suddenly reminded of the stern Peacekeeper elders like Titan in Byrd's attitude. "At ease, soldier. You'll need to find your commanding officer for any orders."

Finally, it was the dragon's turn to look upon a foreigner with curious eyes. "Hey, so what're those things?" he asked, pointing towards the metal attachments on the penguin's shoulders.

Byrd looked down at his own equipment. "THESE are the latest in military hotware; DVX-9 rocket launchers, state of the art."

"So...why didn't you use them to escape?"

"Because I have limited ammo! I expended most of it fighting off the Sorceress before I was captured, and I needed to save a shot..." The bird spun around, facing Moneybags, who was too busy counting his gems. "For this!"

A brief second of silence, followed by an earth-shaking explosion as both of Byrd's rocket-launchers fired, spitting out a fireball that shot straight for Moneybags, blowing the bear back for miles in the blink of an eye.

The penguin spun back towards Spyro. "Permission to question requested. Where did you come from? I thought dragons had been dead for a thousand years or something."

"Yeah, and I thought penguins couldn't fly, so we were both wrong. To answer your question, we're fine - the dragons just wanted some peace and quiet."

"And to answer yours, a few years of training can power any set of wings to flight. Though I'm sure a dragon as yourself has no problems with the subject." (Spyro calmly bit his tongue.) "Anyway, if it's peace and quiet you're after, you'd be best off avoiding my homeworld for a touch. The Sorceress will have taken advantage of my absence by now, so the hummingbirds will be swarmed with those bloody rhynocs. But know that a soldier never forgets a favor, dragon; if you should require my services, summon me at your earliest convenience."

The bird gave a salute, which Spyro returned. "Can do, soldier. Ago phasmatis draconis." It was a slip of the tongue, really, a force of habit when presenting a dragon salute.

Byrd, though, gave an understanding nod. "The creed by which I live my life, dragon. I'll do it proud."

oo00oo00oo

Byrd ducked and dodged through the glass-rattling explosions as he fluttered back into the base, eventually catching up to his best corporal. "By the blazes, Gabrielle, what's gone on here while I was gone?!" He expected there to be fallout from his disappearance, certainly - especially at a time like this, where the Sorceress seemed to be on some kind of resistance-smashing crime spree and/or random nest-building frenzy. (Though after meeting the purple dragon in the Gardens, he deduced the explanation for the dragon eggs suddenly turning up.) But rhynocs seemed to be tucked into every nook and cranny of the training base, running about with explosives, hummingbird nets, and those dastardly gold cages like the one that did him in at the Towers.

Gabrielle fluttered over to her superior, both of them ducked into a relatively-safe part of the base, surrounded by bulletproof glass that allowed them to watch the destruction of their base. "I'z war, Sergeant," she answered softly. "A war we were not prepared to fight."

"Give me the situation, quickly."

"The rhynocs began their invasion at 1845 hours," Gabrielle explained. "We defended the base as well as we could, but...well, without ze proper leadership, we could not put up a proper resistance. By 1900 hours, the rhynocs had taken over the base an' captured ze rest of ze hummingbird squad."

"Well, then we'll just have to throw all of the rhynocs out. I'll need to teach you hummingbirds a thing or two about base defending."

Gabrielle gave a gasp, her wings fluttering extra-hard for a beat at her surprise. "Sergeant, do you really intend to take out all of ze rhynocs by yourself?"

Byrd spun around on his flipper, quickly aiming and firing at a rhynoc protecting one of the tunnels deeper into the base. The blast disintegrated the invader into a shiny dragon gem, and its wake loosened the door on a nearby cage, allowing Private Claire to flutter free.

"Naturally, Gabrielle."

oo00oo00oo

Yes, the rhynoc invasion of the base meant there was lots of cleaning up to be done, but a true soldier's battles are never over. Yes, there were rhynocs to gun down and hummingbirds to rescue, but on top of the base chaos, there was one more dastardly fiend that needed to be disposed of.

"Sergeant Byrd, permission to question requested."

"Granted."

"I'z jus' a gopher, sir. Aren't there more important matters to attend to?"

"More important matters?!" Byrd looked horrified at the thought. "Bite your tongue, Gabrielle!"

The young corporal rolled her eyes. "Yes, sir. Sorry I brought it up."

"As you should be." Byrd's brow narrowed as he went back to his target, the scampering gopher at the bottom of the briefing room. His war with the burrowing devils went back years, when he first arrived at the hummingbird camp, a spry young penguin from the Frozen Altars with nothing but a dream to soar in the skies. The gophers did everything in their power to make his boot camp as miserable as possible - stealing his rockets, hiding his ammunition underground, making pitfalls to worsen his clumsy falls in flight training...and to make all of it worse, they were fast. If he ever tried to chase them down, natural selection saved the day. They could disappear underground before his stumbling flippers even had a chance to catch up.

When he became sergeant of the local militia, he had the bloody things chased out for good. Now that the rhynocs ran the base, they came back.

So he'd just have to chase them out again.

The penguin lined up his shot, fluttering high above the briefing room to avoid the gopher's notice. The rodent, enjoying its newfound freedom a bit TOO much, was rolling in casual circles in the war-stained grass, making a mess of his precious briefing room.

He'd only have one shot, so he took the time to make it perfect. Once he had it, Byrd launched the bomb clamped between his flippers, sending the projectile spiraling down, where it made perfect contact with the gopher hole. The explosion rocked the base, though no more than anything else as of late, and when the smoke cleared, there was no sign of the gopher or his infernal mole-hill.

...Though, there was also no floor. Instead, the loose rock dropped into a cavern, and both Byrd and Gabrielle stalled when they heard the frightened squawk of a hummingbird within its depths: "Nikita!"

In a panic, Sergeant and Corporal both rushed to the rescue, and after fighting through the choking heat of the lava-filled tunnels and blowing past the rhynocs standing guard, they freed young Private Nikita from her elaborate cage.

Yes, the time of war is serious business...but even one as serious as Byrd couldn't help but crack a smirk. "What was that about tending to important matters, Corporal?"

oo00oo00oo

With the hummingbirds free, the rhynocs pushed back, and a trio of dragon eggs rescued from their grubby hands, Sergeant Byrd thought it the perfect time to revisit with the purple dragon and discuss their next strike against the sorceress. Ideally, over shaken volcano-drinks at the Tiki Lodge in Molten Crater.

Quite a disappointment to hear that the Sorceress had sealed it up. For all of ten seconds until he blasted the door to smithereens with his newly-restocked shoulder-launchers.

Dragon and penguin both made their way into the Lodge, but upon realizing its odd build, Spyro opted to stay behind. The Lodge was barely a lodge at all. It was a dome, roughly speaking, with the walls made of a shining obsidian and the floor covered with a pulsing orange lava. Heads that spewed fire lined every hallway, and apart from the central platform, everything seemed out of reach. All of the halls and outcrops were high above their heads, and with the precarious lava below, it seemed an impossible lodge to manipulate.

"How do the tikis get around this place?" Spyro couldn't help but ask, looking for ANYTHING that might help him get around.

"Dodo feathers," Byrd explained, pointing up to the circling birds of paradise above. "It's a strange sort of magic that I couldn't explain in a hundred years, but having one lets you pop from place to place. Makes for quite a wild time at the parties, I must say."

"Okay, but why did they have to cover it in lava and fire?"

"Trying to keep out non-members, of course! Any REAL tiki doesn't mind a little heat now and again!" One of the "trapped" tikis, Shale, eventually met them at the door. "Did you finally get the door open? We thought the lodge would have to be shut down for good when that nasty sorceress came in!"

"No door of the Sorceress' was going to keep us out, soldier," Byrd responded promptly. "Is everyone alright?"

"Uhm..." Shale looked around to the half-finished tiki statues scattered around the lodge. "Mostly."

"Mostly isn't good enough," Spyro pointed out. "What happened?"

"Well, now that you've opened the door, we can get out and start helping with the rebuild," Shale started. "But, uh...we started a game of hide and seek while we were stuck in here." He motioned to the "statues", which - upon closer inspection - turned out to be tikis in disguise. "The rest of the guys have hidden their heads, and I don't know where. Would you two be willing to help me out?"

"Nothing a pair of class-A flyers like us can't handle," Byrd answered confidently. "Right, Spyro?"

The normally-brazen dragon had a moment of hesistation. True, in a speedway such a task would be a breeze (literally), but with the lodge air as thick and stagnant as it was, his wings were going nowhere fast. "Uhm...how about you go on ahead, and I'll stay down here in case any rhynocs try to sneak in?"

"Fair enough. I'll try to complete the mission with haste."

Spyro nudged Sparx to go follow and help Byrd if he needed it, then watched the penguin and dragonfly begin ducking in and out of the various halls and crevices. How comical was it, a flightless dragon paired with a flying penguin? ...Maybe a bit ironic for the audience, but it was only a sour truth for the young Artisan.

_Squawk! _"Bloody birds!" _Bam! _Fifteen years old, halfway to his second dragon-age, and he was still only at a dragonlet's level of basic gliding without help from a whirlwind or a superfly enchantment. And because of what? His size? His smaller frame was the secret to his legendary speed, even off of the supercharge ramps - depending on who told the story, it was the sole factor that allowed him to take out Gnasty Gnorc and start his adventures in the first place. But at the same time, his greatest weapon was also hindering him from his dreams of taking to the skies whenever he wanted.

_Bambambam! Squawk! _"By the gods, why is everything on fire?!" Was it funny that the first-hatched of the pack also happened to be the runt of the Artisan litter? Or whatever litter he actually came from? Again, maybe not funny - just an irony that hurt to swallow.

What WAS funny was the look of Sergeant Byrd when the military penguin returned from his task, dropping off the five missing heads in front of Shale, which all bounced to life and congratulated the soldier on his accomplishment (and booed their lodge brother for asking for help). The penguin was covered in all kinds of discomforting burns and scratches, not to mention a beakful of dodo feathers. "What, hide and seek a little too rough for ya, sarge?"

"Hardly," the penguin spat, dusting off his feathers. "If anything, I feel I need to bring my hummingbirds here and make them train in these fire-halls. Might I suggest we return to Midday Gardens and continue our mission?"

"Affirmative."

Shale waved off the heroes as they left the lodge, then looked down at the heads at his feet. "Guys, wait, come back! I can't reassemble these things by myself!"

* * *

><p><em>Stupid dodos. As always, <em>make sure to tune in next week, and<em><em><em><em> while you're waiting, make sure to check out my profile, my other stories, and maybe pitch into my multiverse collaboration. :D (Poll's not there anymore; thanks for the outstanding turnout, guys. [sarcasm]) Anyway, thanks for reading, guys, hope you enjoyed!_____  
><em>

__________**_§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §_**__________


	38. Hot 'N Cold

******You found a disclaimer!**  
><strong>**Spyro the Dragon, both the game and all related characters (c) Insomniac. They own the Spyro that's in this story, so nyeh.  
>Spyro 3: Year of the Dragon, as well as all related characters (c) blah-blah, same copyright.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT: Hot 'N Cold<strong>

"What's the matter, Hunter? The lake not being so _ice _right now?"

"Don't even start, Spyro!"

"Come on, Avalar's most agile cat can't handle a little skating?"

"Do I LOOK like a Colossus monk to you?"

Spyro and Sparx couldn't help but laugh as they watched Hunter flail on the Icy Peak lakes like a clumsy rhynoc. Growing up in the Ice Caves of the Peacekeeper lands, Spyro took to the ice like a fish took to the water. Hunter, growing up in the sunny fields of Summer Forest, wasn't nearly so inclined.

And it seemed as good a time as any for some ice-skating lessons - sure, this area had as many rhynocs as the rest of the Midday Gardens, but the locals didn't seem to mind so much. Bob mentioned being late to an ice-fishing date with Doug because of the rhynoc ice-blockades, but seemed more than content to drill his own icehole and fish on the southern outcropping.

"Come on, Hunter, one foot in front of the other," Spyro tried to instruct, helping Hunter to cross another lake they found deeper into the Peaks.

The usually-dextrous cheetah struggled to follow those simple instructions, arms flailing in a panicked attempt to keep from falling over. His claws tensed in an attempt to grip the ground, but the ice was far too slick for him to find that kind of stability.

Eventually, Hunter made a bit of movement, clumsily trying to mimic Spyro's natural glides across the ice. Using his arms and tail for a clunky sort of balance, he eventually mastered a slow and shaky forward movement. "Left...right...left...right...Hey, look, Spyro, I got it!"

_Muahahahaha! _So focused on his feet, Hunter had no time to notice the rabid rat on a TNT crate until it smashed into him and sent him sliding across the cavern. Spyro, for the first time that night, finally lost his balance on the slick ice, but only because a fit of laughter caused his legs to buckle. "You okay, Hunter?"

"No. I hate ice-skating."

oo00oo00oo

Unfortunately for Hunter, the icy madness kept up throughout their trip through the Peak, up until they ran across their old "friend", who was standing guard by a door. "Morning, boys! Enjoying a bit of ice fishing before all the good spots are taken?"

"Moneybags, what're you doing here?" Spyro asked, keeping a sharp eye out for animals in gold cages.

"Taking tickets, what does it look like?" Moneybags shrugged. (Alright, not his most glamorous job, but the trip to the Forgotten Realms was expensive, and he needed to turn a profit _somewhere_.) "Are you boys interested? It's the annual ice-dancing spectacular!"

Hunter and Spyro both broke into a quick laugh. "Ice-dancing? Us?" Hunter scoffed.

"Yeah, what kind of girls do you take us for, Moneybags? Come on!"

The old bear stretched slightly, fanning himself with the pair of tickets. "There's a hockey game after the show."

Easiest five-hundred gems ever.

oo00oo00oo

Despite the promises of hockey, the boys were highly disappointed to find not a Colossus arena, but a lonely ice-skating rink, taken up only by a small bear in a pink dress. Hunter refused to touch the ice anymore, so it was Spyro's duty to go out and meet her. "Uhm...excuse me, miss. Is something wrong?"

"Yes, something is mos' definitely wrong!" the young dancer, Nancy, huffed. "Tonight is MY ice-dancing performance, and they double-booked me with a hockey game! Those nasty hockeynocs keep comin' in and tryin' ta bash me off'a the stage with their big ol' hockey-sticks!"

Spyro, much more interested in the hockey game, tried to interrupt, but Nancy continued her rant. "I's jus' not fair, ya know? I put all this work inta makin' my routine perfect, 'n now I'm gettin' pushed around by some dumb rhynocs with sticks!"

Suddenly, the bear's dark eyes lit up. "Y'know what I need? A PARTNER. Yeah, someone who could keep those rhynocs offa my back while I dance my routine! Someone courageous...and strong...handsome...purple...who breathes fire..."

The Artisan dodged every obvious hint, so Nancy put on her scary face and grabbed Spyro by the horn. "Okay, listen, dragon, this hockey game's going to be postponed forever until I finish my dance, GOT IT?!"

Once thrown loose, the purple dragon skated around, offering his tail to escort Nancy to center stage. "Right? Of course, where are my manners? Shall we dance?"

oo00oo00oo

One embarrassing dance routine Spyro would never live down, a brutal slug of a hockey game, and an oddly-thrown egg later, they caught up with Bob's friend, Doug. After all of their work blasting down ice walls and fighting off rhynocs, it turned out that Doug was the one who booby-trapped the path all along. All in defense of a single fishing spot.

While Doug preserved his precious spot, though, Hunter and Spyro had their own ice-fishing to do. As they wound their way up the Icy Peaks, they eventually came across the most puzzling conundrum - a stack of shimmering gems, trapped beneath a sheet of ice.

Of course, the two heroes were of opposite minds. Spyro, well aware with how dangerous gemcrafting magic could be, didn't want to leave a loose gem ANYWHERE where the Sorceress could get it and cause trouble. Hunter, on the other hand, didn't want to get his fur wet.

"Come on, Hunter, we've got to figure something out," Spyro tsked.

"Spyro, forget it," Hunter argued. "Even if you COULD break through all that ice, are you REALLY going to swim through that freezing water for a few gems?"

"The Sorceress could flatten Icy Peak with those 'few gems'," the dragon pointed out. "I've seen dumber warlocks than her pull it off."

"Still, how are you going to get down there?"

Spyro looked over the sheet of ice in front of them. Most of the ponds in Icy Peak were frozen solid, allowing for all of the ice escapades that had gone on during their visit. This one, however, seemed a little different. The rest of the ponds were frozen opaque, keeping anyone from seeing how far down they went. In this pond, you could clearly see the gems below the surface. They shimmered in the reflected light as they rolled around, the picture only slightly jolted when you looked towards...

Artisan reasoning strikes again; there was a crack in the ice.

"Alright, I see it!" Without bothering to explain the plan, Spyro jumped out into the ring, hovering with his wings to give him enough boost for a quick front-flip; just enough force to smash the ice at its weakest point with his mighty horns.

"AUGH, COLD!" And then drop him into the exposed water.

Spyro quickly scrambled out of the opening, catching his breath on the first solid piece of ice he could find. "Told you that was a dumb idea!" he heard Hunter call from the sidelines.

The Artisan didn't bother with a response, instead turning to face his eternal nemesis. He and water were on good terms now. He and COLD water still had some issues from time to time. Normally, the dragon wasn't afraid of anything, but looking down at the sparkling pond below him loosened some nerves.

"Spyro, relax," Sparx buzzed, trying to calm his dragon-brother down. If anyone could notice the few signs of Spyro having a panic attack, it was Sparx. "We get in, I grab the gems, we get out. Simple."

Spyro nodded - better they get these gems now and not come back when the Sorceress turns them into metal ice-sharks or something ridiculous - then took a long, deep breath to prepare for the chilling dive. "Alright, let's just get this over with."

The duo dove into the icy depths, and Spyro immediately froze with a wrenching writhe as the cold water washed over him. It sank in wherever it could, filling his lungs and seeping in under every loose scale he had. His paws tensed and his tail whipped around in a frenzy, all of his muscles painfully contracting in the harsh climate change.

Sparx held up his end of the deal, rushing to snatch up the gems as quickly as he could, so Spyro was left to wait, struggling to kick his legs and keep off the bottom of the lake. In a panic, he tried to spit a few flames, but instead of a warming fire, his mouth filled with even more icy water, giving him nothing more than a few bubbles to work with.

The ice in his chest was the most discomforting; he felt it twice before, once in the Spires and once back on Colossus. It brought back memories of the black spirit, the one that took the fire right out of him, always teasing him about how he wasn't ready, how he wasn't good enough to save the world, how he should've just gone home.

He just had to remember that he had to keep proving that spirit wrong.

Spyro's brief nightmare was ended by a flash of gold buzzing around his head until he was dizzy - Sparx's favorite way of getting his attention. "Yo, Spyro, I got 'em, let's go!"

Ready for an excuse to return to dry land, Spyro pedaled his legs until they shook off the chill and responded normally, then charged back up to the surface, shaking as much of the cold water off as he could before Hunter came over to meet them. "See, told ya it was no big deal!" Sparx buzzed.

"Maybe not for you. Come on, let's go. I like being on top of the ice a lot more than I like being under it."

oo00oo00oo

Spyro was a different dragon than when his adventure began two years ago. Things that gave him nightmares were a childish thing of the past, but things that never bothered him suddenly became nightmare fuel.

One such thing? A simple laugh. _Nyeh-nyeh-ne-nyeh-nyeh! Heehehehee!_

Hunter, ever the problem solver, was attempting to pelt the pesky thieves with snowballs to scare them off of their safe, little platform. "You two get down from there! We need those eggs back!"

The red thief gave a wicked cackle. "I don't think so, Avalari! Dragon eggs sell for a FORTUNE on the forgotten markets! No one would be dumb enough to pass by one, much less two!"

While Hunter and the thieves argued, Spyro took a different route. The old Spyro would've ran after them. The old Spyro that didn't have that grinding laugh drilled into his brain would've played with his prey, ran a few laps. The old Spyro didn't realize that these hooded thieves stole unhatched dragons and sold to the dark sorcerer (or sorceress) with the highest bid.

New Spyro, on the other hand, ran out of patience for the egg thieves long ago. As the red thief noticed when Spyro jumped down from the peaks, findings his horns in its overwrapped head.

The yellow thief, however, managed to avoid the dragon's advance, jumping onto the supercharge tracks that wrapped and looped around the mountaintops. "You'll never catch me alive, heroes! _Heehehehee_!"

"Spyro, you get the egg back somewhere safe!" Hunter called, taking a few steps back. "I call dibs on this one!" And before the Artisan could argue, the race was on.

One thing people easily forgot about Hunter was his speed. Because the raceways were all designed for dragons and other creatures with wings, the flightless cheetah needed to get creative, which led to his unrivaled technical skills. With the proper amount of scrap metal, Hunter could make anything from a supersonic skateboard to a biplane with machine guns.

But mechanical genius was just one of Hunter's surprising strong suits. Cheetah was another, and supercharge tracks worked for all creatures, dragonlet and Avalari alike. (Bravery was slowly becoming another; the old Hunter Spyro had met in Avalar the year prior would never have given chase to an egg thief.)

With the supercharge powering his paws, Hunter took to all fours and pounced after the yellow-wrapped thief, leaving a wake of smoke in his trail. The supercharge tracks in the Icy Peak were some of the most difficult in the Forgotten Worlds; certainly more difficult than any Hunter had ever traversed, having never visited the realm of the Beast Makers. The thief was quick to duck and dodge through the multiple forks, trying every trick it could to shake its pursuer.

It took a grand leap to clear the gap that separated the entryway from the platforms where the thieves were hiding. Hunter followed close behind. With the proper kick of power in his cat-like legs, Hunter's namesake instincts kicked in and the cheetah pounced. His claws made contact with the thief's robes in mid-air, and by the time they tumbled to the ground, he had enough of a grab to toss the yellow-clothed demon off of the tracks and send it tumbling down the side of the mountain.

Still sparing their fifty-first egg, of course.

"Admit it, Spyro," Hunter laughed, brushing himself off before cradling the egg. "I'm getting pretty fast."

"Alright, I can admit it. Keep up the good work, and MAYBE you'll learn to keep up with the master."

oo00oo00oo

Bianca drank in every last word of the Sorceress' tome. She had never SEEN a Crafter's book up close, much less thought she'd ever be able to read one. The dragon spells were such a rarity, the legends said that the dragons burned them all in a firestorm of spite before they abandoned this half of the world.

...Not that it was a legend the young rabbit believed. She preferred the children's stories of the dragons, the wistful fairy tales her grandmother taught her under the stars of Midnight Mountain. They were stories of the old days, when the Forgotten Worlds exploded with magic from every corner, and the dragons maintained peace and harmony amongst the four worlds.

Studying with the Sorceress is a dream come true for any Crystal Islands magician, but it was far from the dragon's age of peace and harmony that she hoped it would be when the eggs returned.

_Bianca, what are you doing? Focus! You've got to master fodder-crafting before you run into the dragon! A third of the eggs are gone, you HAVE to bring the dragons back!_

Filled with a new determination, Bianca threw her bookmark aside and turned to the first "victim" she could find, an innocent blossom in the Midday Circle. "_Fhyi, fhre-heem, fhy-ro fhium!_" With a powerful gesture, she launched her magic at the flower, confident that she had cast the perfect killer monster spell.

...Killer flower? Close enough? _No, that's not going to scare the dragon at all,_ she thought with a groan. "Shoot. _Fhyfrum, ghroa!_" In another flash of light, the towering plantzilla returned to being a harmless blossom.

A small bunny bounced by her feet, and she immediately went for a new spell - something with bulk, that could physically overwhelm the dragon...and maybe less teeth than the blossom-beast. "_Ghlyin, glaf-throa, glahntrhyth!_"

A desperate hand-wave, and the bunny exploded into a hungry beast, with beefy arms and thundering feet. Much more terrifying than her Buzz-Bunny from the other day.

Spyro and Hunter, fresh from their icy adventures in the Peak, arrived just in time to find their favorite apprentice being chased down and stomped by a gargantuan mutant bunny. The Artisan struggled not to laugh at the patheticness of the scene. "Gotta admit, I kind of like dealing with a sorceress that doesn't know what they're doing."

Hunter, surprisingly, didn't chime in. "Don't you think we should help her?"

Spyro stumbled in his confusion. "You're...kidding, right? This IS the girl who tried to toast you in the Sunrise Springs, remember?"

"Yeah," Hunter smirked, "but she was aiming at you."

Spyro went to retort when a high-pitched scream interrupted. The golden Crafter's tome flew past them as the beastly bunny devoured its creator, swallowing the Sorceress' apprentice in one swift bite. "Bianca!" Activating his hero-mode, Hunter sprung into action. (Not feeling particularly kind towards the girl who led the kidnapping of his people, Spyro sat this fight out.)

The cheetah pounced on the ferocious beast, tackling it to the ground and engaging in a fierce grapple. Hunter and the bunny went back and forth in a hungry struggle, one trying to wrestle the other to the ground in a gripping battle of strength versus dexterity.

For a moment, the bunny won the upper hand. He tossed the attacking cheetah aside, then made a mighty leap to squash and swallow him as he did Bianca. Hunter, however, was quick to react. He readied his mighty legs, and with a Sheila-worthy kick, smashed the bunny in the stomach, forcing the once-gentle beast to spit his creator out.

Bianca struggled to her feet, trying to ignore the layers of mutant rabbit saliva that now soaked her robe, and looked up just in time to find her unholy creation ready to finish the attack on Hunter. "_Fhyfrum, ghroa!_"

Hunter could only shut his eyes and brace himself as the impending doom drew near...then smacked the fodder away when it returned to proper bunny size. "Stupid rabbit."

Once her robe was wrung dry as it would get, Bianca shyly approached her savior. "Uhm...thanks."

Hunter, seeing the young apprentice, stood up to meet her. "Hey, no problem. That's what heroes are for, right?"

Before the two could draw closer, Spyro and Sparx stepped into the scene. "You're sure lucky Hunter was around, Bianca. You were ten minutes from being mutant rabbit chow," the Artisan pointed out with a smarmy smirk.

Bianca scowled, refusing to give the dragon the same pleasantries she gave his friend. "I can look after myself, dragon."

"Su~ure you can," Spyro snickered.

The rabbit apprentice fumed. "Here, let me show you!" she snapped.

...Only for her summon spell to fail, summoning little more than a pink butterfly that was immediately chewed up by the dragonfly. "Looks like someone's out of magic," Spyro continued to tease, familiar with the limitations of magical energies (thanks to a few lectures he was glad to see actually DID come in handy). "Need a jump-start?"

Not eager to have her robe singed again, Bianca grabbed her book and rushed off. "Forget it! I'll deal with you later, dragon!"

Spyro laughed at the apprentice's misfortune, but was stopped when Hunter gave him a swift kick to the underside: "Spyro, why'd you have to scare her off?!"

* * *

><p><em>It's okay, Spyro, we still love you. XD T<em><em><em><em><em>hanks for reading, guys, hope you enjoyed! Make sure to tune in next week for another thrilling chapter!<em>____  
><em>

__________**_§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §_**__________


	39. Burn It to the Ground

******You found a disclaimer!**  
><strong>**Spyro the Dragon, both the game and all related characters (c) Insomniac. They own the Spyro that's in this story, so nyeh.  
>Spyro 3: Year of the Dragon, as well as all related characters (c) blah-blah, same copyright.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE: Burn It to the Ground<br>**

"Ow, ow! Piranhas!"

Spyro quickly scampered to shore, shaking off the bloodthirsty fish that had dug into his tail. At first, the Spooky Swamp didn't seem so bad; a little wet, a little dreary, but nothing the Artisan hadn't gotten used to during his stay in the Beast Makers all those years ago.

Now he was beginning to notice all of the creature problems. The swamp was littered in angry bears, giant mosquitoes, and starved gators, not unlike the hungry bushes he had to put up with in Fracture Hills. (None of this was made any better by Sparx's sudden disdain for crawdads, the local fodder.) And if you tried to dip into the water to avoid the creatures on land, the waters were swarmed with angry piranhas.

"Man, you and water, Spyro," Sparx buzzed.

"I know, it's a curse," Spyro echoed with a roll of his eyes, shaking the water from his scales.

The creatures wouldn't be a problem for too much longer, though. The local fireflies mentioned a great wizard that lived in the burrows of the swamp, that could clear out all of the monsters in a single wave of his arms. Spyro was betting he could help them find some dragon eggs, but the fireflies were too scared to go out and light the tea lamps to summon him.

Lighting fires? Easiest thing Spyro had done all day.

Halfway through their quest for tea lamps, though, Spyro and Sparx came across Moneybags, meditating and penning poetry in front of a door that was absolutely there ten minutes before they came by and didn't look suspicious in the slightest.

"Greetings, young dragon!" the bear welcomed with a slight bow. "Welcome to the Spooky Swamp! Enjoying your trip?"

Unable to come up with a haiku-fitting response, Spyro ignored his forced ally, pawing at the large door blocking their path. "The door is jammed shut," the bear explained. "Only the power of gems can hope to move it."

"No way, Moneybags," Spyro scoffed, quickly turning tail to find a new way through the swamp. (Unbeknownst to Moneybags, there were many.) "I'm not giving you my gems. And your haiku stinks."

The bear grumbled as he watched the Artisan duck off into the stormy night. "Fine, Spyro, go on. But those gems will be mine soon!" He gave a sour sigh. "Ugh, I hate haiku."

oo00oo00oo

Eventually, in their spooky slam through the swamp, Spyro and Sparx encountered a familiar kangaroo bouncing through the marsh! "Spahro, it's 'bout time!" Sheila greeted with a wave. "I thought you'd never show up! You likin' the swamp?"

Spyro shrugged his shoulders. "I don't do rain, Sheil," he said. "And this haiku stuff is hard. I'm ready to bounce."

"Tsk-tsk, what a shame," Sheila giggled. "The fireflies here are like more of my brothers. The swamp smells so sweet; the springtime trees are fragrant..."

The kangaroo waved her dragon companion off, having some very important rebel-work to attend to. "I'm off to kick butt."

Sheila bounded through the forests surrounding the swamp. Two of her poetry-slam partners, Buson and Basho, had mentioned that the Sorceress hid a pair of eggs deep in the swampy ruins, locking them up in dragon-proof cages. But as the kangaroo noticed, 'dragon-proof' did not always mean kangaroo-proof.

"Oi, Buson! Basho!" she called out, waving to her firefly brothers. "Sorry I'm late; got caught up. Are the eggs alright?"

The firefly twins, each holding a bomb in their shaky hands (the key resource to her small rebel troupe), both squinted to see her through their over-sized glasses. (The twins were caught in a flash-bomb explosion a few years back; they survived, but at the cost of their eyesight.) "Yes, we have the bombs here to destroy the egg cage," Basho explained. "But we just go boom," he sighed. Sheila winced, only imagining how bad this got before she arrived. The brothers could barely see their hands in front of their faces. Trying to traverse the rockiest part of the swamp with an armful of explosives must've been impossible.

"Kangaroo can help!" Buson jumped in. "You can clear the path for us! Will Sheila help us?"

"Sheila will help ya," Sheila agreed with a chuckle. "Gotta get those eggs. 'Sides, can't say no to haiku."

"Yes!" Basho cheered. "It's bombing time! Here I come, my little eggs! To free you at last!"

The impaired firefly took off, and Sheila immediately had to dive to the rescue as he nearly walked into a rock. The inner forest of Spooky Swamp was a maze of rocks and debris, not as watery or well-worn as the rest of the area. With the rock out of the way, Sheila tried to carefully guide Basho away from the cluster of rocks. She had to guide him quietly, though - coming up with a haiku in the heat of the moment would've been far too difficult.

Past the rocks, Basho headed straight towards a cluster of mushrooms. Which wouldn't have been a problem if Spooky Swamp weren't one of two places that could support towershrooms. Seeing the potential for danger, the kangaroo rushed ahead, thrusting herself into the air as high as her legs would take her. With a few rampant backflips, Sheila flattened the small forest of mushrooms, just in time for Basho to gracefully walk through.

Instead of taking the path straight ahead to the cages, though, Basho took a wrong turn, nearly throwing himself into a large piece of ruin debris that Sheila just managed to kick out of their way. He came around and returned to the proper path...which Sheila almost failed to notice was grown over by mushrooms. With only a second to make her guess, she leapt over Basho's head and flattened the center path of mushrooms. And with the cages in sight, he followed her premade path instead of wandering into the towershrooms.

Sheila gave a heavy sigh of relief, sinking to the ground once Basho's bomb had finally freed the coveted dragon egg. Finally, that nightmare was over. Until Basho brought up one very good point:

"One egg cage remains. Will you now help my brother to free the last egg?"

oo00oo00oo

Bubba looked on in horror at the sight of the four swamp tea-lamps flickering in the distance of the murky rain. "I lit your dumb lamps," Spyro said, expecting his quick reward at the end of the mission, as it always came. "Now what's with this wizard dude? Do I win a prize?"

"Yes, the lamps are lit!" Bubba acknowledged. "Now I'll tell you the secret of the old tea-house. A creepy wizard lives inside, but hates the light! He has awoken. He swore to destroy whoever lights the tea-lamps!" The firefly gave a shrug. "Better you than I."

"What?!" Spyro jumped. "But I thought the wizard would help us find the missing dragon eggs!"

Bubba shook his head. "You are brave, dragon - much braver than I, by far. But also quite dense." The firefly quickly turned tail and fled, anxious to leave before the wizard came out to meet them.

Spyro sighed sharp,  
>staring down the wizard's door.<br>All in a day's work.

oo00oo00oo

"Man, that is one ugly statue."

"That's what the Sorceress said. But if you ask us, it's a lot prettier than she is."

In search of the rest of the dragon eggs, Hunter and Spyro made their way to the Enchanted Towers, where the local gypsys said they could craft a whirligig that would help Spyro reach the next part of the Forgotten Worlds, the Evening Lake. (Between Buzz's dungeon and the landing, their balloon wasn't in any state to fly.) Unfortunately, they were having a scaly sort of problem: the Sorceress, who threw a fit with her commissioned statue and filled the Towers with rhynocs to tear it - and the rest of the area - down.

They had to clear out the rhynocs, but the locals had no problem with blowing up the statue first.

So it was up to Spyro and Hunter (...okay, mainly Spyro) to set off all of the gypsys' explosives, all of which were aimed right at the glittering monster's head. And where military-grade explosives are to be found, a member of the Hummingbird Corps can't be far behind, as the Artisan noticed when he heard the tell-tale sound of flapping penguin wings rush up behind him. "Permission to approach, captain?"

Spyro fought back a chuckle. Typical Byrd. "Permission granted. At ease, soldier, I'm no commanding officer."

Still, Byrd held his typical stiff pose. "I take it you've come to help clear out the dracul problem, then?"

The Artisan bit his lip. The draculs, right. The thousand-year-old, full grown versions of those spidery monsters he had to fight off in the caves of the Crystal Glacier. In response to the statue chaos, the Sorceress dumped a nest of them into the Enchanted Towers. And, in true dracul nature, they spread like wildfire. They retained the same toxic color as their younger counterparts, but their spidery limbs were weakened and replaced with thunderous wings, which allowed them to easily conquer the airways of the Towers.

The gypsys were ecstatic to see a dragon come to their rescue; Spyro's heart sank when he had to spread the news that he couldn't fly like the dragons of old that built the original Towers.

Not quite comfortable with bringing the problem up to his penguin companion, Spyro skillfully changed the subject. "Oh, yeah, we've been trying to take care of that. Is that why you're here?"

"Affirmative. Not sure why the gypsys called me in if you were already here, but perhaps this dracul invasion is simply a two-man job."

"Yeah, it probably is. Hey, so here's an idea: Hunter and I have to deal with this statue thing, so how about you go on without me and start taking care of the draculs, and I'll catch up after the two of us take out the ground units?"

"Divide and conquer; classic plan, soldier," Byrd agreed, giving a quick salute before hopping into the skies. "I'll cover the northern towers and rendezvous with you here at 1500 hours."

"...And that would be?" Hunter asked once the penguin was out of earshot.

"Don't worry about it, we'll find him later," Spyro sighed, glad to have avoided the subject one more time. "Come on, let's get this statue out of the way. I heard there's a skate-park around here that we should hit if we have time."

oo00oo00oo

While Spyro and Hunter cleared out the rampant jackhammer-nocs from the ground, Byrd set out to wage war on the clouds of draculs that swarmed the skies of the Enchanted Towers. They were ghastly creatures, covered in slime that could inflate and take to the skies at a moment's notice. They were clustering at the tops of the highest towers, likely mistaking them for their natural habitat, the tops of frozen mountains. (The legends say that the draculs appeared when a baby draclet climbed from its home in the frozen waters below up to the skies, where the dragon gods bestowed them with wings. Not a particularly-appetizing legend, but one nonetheless.)

Knowing how quickly draculs could lay eggs and reproduce, Byrd rushed into the skies. Time was of the essence, and the draculs needed to be eliminated as quickly as possible before the problem became unbeatable.

Luckily, Byrd was a master in the dracul's greatest weakness - fire. Being creatures of the arctic zones, they deflated and crashed immediately upon impact in the heat. And the penguin commander happened to have two quite-reliable sources of firepower fixated to his shoulders.

During his explosive attack on the skies, though, Byrd found another strange creature roaming about. They were a darker blue than the draculs and sported no wings (yet still managed to be in the most out-of-reach places). They seemed a bit like dogs, but their faces and slimy coats suggested a more frog-like manner. And for some reason, each of them seemed to be juggling a gold-plated bone.

"Now what in blazes do you go to?" Byrd asked the mysterious pieces, tossing one of them in his free flipper as he did a final walk-through of the Towers. He DID promise to wait for Spyro, but at least he could report that the problem was taken care of. Surely, the dragon would appreciate the extra time to search out the rest of the dragon eggs.

"Penguin find Shaman Ooga's friend!" Confused, Byrd looked up to find a cave-shaman rushing towards him, cradling a golden skull in his arms. "Oh, Shaman Ooga so worried! Lava Toads sneak out of Badlands in Ooga's suitcase and run off with Ooga's bones!"

"Well, that sounds...terrible," Byrd coughed, trying to hide his confusion the best he could. He handed off the rest of the golden pieces he had found. "I, erh...hope your friend will...be alright."

"Ooga friend be fine," Ooga assured, kneeling down to reassemble his skeletal companion. "Lava Toads do this to all skeletons. Just last year, Ooga had mighty purple dragon find bones for Ooga's friend."

"I take you're talking about Spyro?"

"You know mighty purple dragon of the badlands?"

"Unless purple dragons are more common than the legends say, I believe so. I'm en route to meet with him and patrol the skies for draculs. If you two are old mates, I'll gladly bring a message of-"

Ooga interuppted with a confused look of his own. "Sky? Purple dragon no fly."

"Doesn't fly?" Byrd stumbled, offended by the mere thought. "Nonsense, dragons are the most spectacular fliers the worlds have ever seen!"

"Uh-uh," Ooga insisted. "Bonebuilders watch dragon conquer badlands and save Avalar from black shaman. Dragon did it from ground. Wings made for gliding, not flying. Mighty purple dragon is mighty purple dragonlet; dragonlets can't-"

_YEAAAAAAAAAA~AH!_

Suddenly, all eyes were on the skeleton, which lifted off the ground and reassembled in mid-air, giving a pleasant little shake. It burst out into a funky riff, jamming out with finger points and splits and moonwalks before breaking out into a circle of backflips. _Aw, yeah! Hit it!_

"What Ooga say about breaking into song and dance in middle of game?!"

Byrd stepped back while Ooga began yelling at his friend for being a distraction to the players, or some meta-nonsense like that. Could it be true? Okay, so he hadn't actually seen Spyro fly for himself, but there was no way a DRAGON of all things couldn't master something like flying, right? Even HE could do it, and he was a penguin! If his wings, which were MADE to be flightless, could pull it off, why couldn't Spyro's?

With Ooga put out of the picture by his spotlight-stealing skeleton, there was only one place to go: Spyro himself.

oo00oo00oo

"What's the matter, Spyro? The course not being so _ice?_"

"Your ice-pun doesn't even work here!"

"I'm trying, okay?"

Spyro wavered slightly as he tried to straighten his board. "These things aren't built for quadrupeds, that's all."

Hunter snickered, riding along the lip of the center inverse-ramp. "Whatever you say, legendary dragon of excuses." He then rode down to meet his best friend, who quickly torched him off of his board.

Yes, as the stories of Enchanted Towers predicted, Hunter and Spyro eventually found the legendary skate park. (The Sorceress tried to seal it up by building her statue over the entrance.) Being one of the boarding-masters of Avalar, Hunter couldn't wait to try it out. Spyro, thinking it would be an ice-rink, was just as excited, but only at first.

"I can get the hang of it!" Spyro reassured, trying to use a shaky combination of his tail and front paw to push off. Building momentum is quite the challenge when you can barely reach the ground from the board. "Gimme ten minutes and I'll skate that smirk right off your face."

"Really, Spyro?" Hunter laughed. "You're challenging me? You barely know how to ride that thing!"

The cheetah quickly quit laughing as Spyro hit a half-pipe. The young pseudo-Peacekeeper solved his momentum problem the same way he solved most: running at it full-speed and hoping for the best. The initial charge gave him the forward push he needed, which he could upkeep with his wings the same way Hunter could push off with his legs. With his claws tight around the board, Spyro launched off the nearby half-pipe, cracking his tail like a whip to force the sideways spin.

After landing the 900 flawlessly, Spyro glided by his arch-rival, once again torching him off his board. "You were saying?"

"Alright, dragon-boy, that's it!" Hunter snapped. (The two put aside their differences long ago, but if there was one thing to light the old fire between them, it was a "friendly" competition.) "You, me, game of SATYR, right now."

Spyro scoffed, charging back onto his board and taking to the course. "Alright, me first!"

Their game took them all across the park - into the half-pipe, across the launch tunnel, pulling Orange Crushes and Big Gulps off of the "big ramp", 900-offs in the center inverse...

Up four letters to none, Spyro decided to end the game with a bang. (Or, at least, he thought it'd be a bang. Hunter would _probably _call it cheating.) Riding off of the upper half-pipe, the Artisan pumped his wings to launch him off of the upper rails, where three marble towers looked down upon the rest of the park. Forcing his wings to give him whatever lift they could, Spyro bounced from tower to tower, spiraling down from the final one with a perfect Gnasty Gnorc-Twisted Lemon combo. "Beat that!"

"Oh, no fair!" Hunter whined. "Gnasty Gnorc was going to be MY signature trick!"

"Too bad, beatcha to it." After a quick laugh, Spyro hopped off his board, stretching his front legs with a wince of pain.

"You alright, Spy?"

"Yeah, I'm fine...Just pulled a wing, that's all. These Enchanted Towers are rough, man, I've been flying around all day and-"

"Oh, is THAT so?"

Artisan and cheetah alike both cringed when they heard the military snap of a penguin sneak up behind them. "Before you say anything, this was all Spyro's idea!" Hunter clamored, kicking his skateboard towards his dragon accomplice.

"Hey, Byrd," Spyro greeted sheepishly, expecting the no-nonsense sergeant to chew them out for goofing around. "You, uh...take care of those draculs already?"

"Affirmative," the penguin snapped. "It's a good thing, considering I'm apparently the only competent flier in the Towers!"

"And what's THAT supposed to mean?" Spyro asked with a furrowed brow. "I'm one of the best fliers in the Dragon Realms and Avalar!"

"Not the stories I've heard on my rounds, soldier. Stories I believe I've confirmed with my own eyes, seeing you with that board up on those towers. You can't fly at all, can you, Spyro?"

Spyro paused, the two parts of his upbringing coming to a clash as he tried to consider how to handle the sudden confrontation. Artisan grace and logic would've been preferable, but the Peacekeeper habit of yelling and making everything worse won out in the end. "Can so! Who told you that?"

"Old acquaintance of yours I ran into on my rounds. Bonebuilder, claimed to be from some sort of badlands. Brought a dancing skeleton and a pack of Lava Toads. He sends his salutations."

Spyro cursed under his breath. Ratted out by Ooga, of all the things. "Well...okay, so maybe I can't," he admitted with a huff. "What's that got to do with anything?"

"Nothing of importance to your mission, I'm just disappointed," Byrd sighed sharply. "By the gods, you're a DRAGON! Your people BUILT these sky-towers!"

"Hey!" Spyro interrupted, grinding his teeth as his temper started to boil. "Look, I'm not a good flier, I'll give you that. But that does NOT make me any less of a dragon!"

"I'm not accusing you of that, _dragonlet_, I'm merely expressing my concern that this is going to stand in the way of you rescuing your dragon eggs! Why would you volunteer for the task if you couldn't even pass through a basic training course?"

"I volunteered for the same reason I volunteered for all of the OTHER times I've saved the world!" the Artisan spat. "Because I CARE about the dragons, and I'm gonna do whatever it takes to get the eggs back, wings or no wings!"

"But that's not the situation! You HAVE wings! And you're selfish enough not to take the time to learn how to use them?!" Byrd recoiled for a moment, struggling to keep his own tongue calm. "That's the part that sickens me, dragon. You, prancing about, letting your wings rot where they sit on your back! I spent the better part of my LIFE trying to get airborne, and it's downright offensive to see someone like you who had it handed to them through no virtue other than the mother that laid your egg, and not even bloody using it!"

"Don't I even get a chance to EXPLAIN?" With the penguin silenced, Spyro spat smoke from his snout. "No, on second thought, forget it. I don't NEED to explain myself to you! I've got two whole parts of the world that realize I'm a hero, and that I could do it WITHOUT my wings, unlike some kinds of whiny, flightless bird! So if you'll excuse us, Captain Hummingbirds, me and my also-flightless partners have REAL hero work to do!"

With a crack of his tail, Spyro spun around and headed for the exit, no longer in the mood to best Hunter in a game of skate-SATYR. "Fine! But don't come crying to me when one of your precious dragon eggs is hiding a bit out of reach!" Byrd bit back, hopping into the air and shooting off in the other direction.

Hunter, avoiding confrontation as he usually did, watched the fireworks go off before both dragon and penguin left him alone in the skate-park.

_Alright. Time to set a new course record._

* * *

><p><em>AND YEAH, ALL OF THE DIALOGUE FROM SPOOKY SWAMP IS WRITTEN IN HAIKU. COUNT THE SYLLABLES IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE ME. 5-7-5, ALL DAY, E'RY DAY.<br>_

_...Alright, enough of that. XD With the most annoying area of the game behind us and tempers boiling between Spyro and Byrd, what kind of drama and horror awaits us in the next chapter? (I'll give you guys a hint: it may involve a whirligig-like device. ;) ) You'll just have to tune in next week to find out! Thanks for reading, guys! See you next week!_

___________**_§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §_**___________


	40. Spike's Arena

********You found a disclaimer!**  
><strong>****Spyro the Dragon, both the game and all related characters (c) Insomniac. They own the Spyro that's in this story, so nyeh.  
>Spyro 3: Year of the Dragon, as well as all related characters (c) blah-blah, same copyright.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER FORTY: Spike's Arena<strong>

"You bumbling, idiotic, worthless fool! One thing! ONE SIMPLE TASK, that's all I asked of you! And you FAILED me!"

The Sorceress scowled, bashing the base of her staff against the tile floors. "I should've known better than to leave such an important task in the hands of a child."

Bianca bit her tongue, her head dropped low. 'Child' was a harsh term - she was in her twenties, after all - but when you're as old as the ancient and almighty Sorceress, anyone could seem like a child. "I'm sorry-"

"Oh, don't worry about it," the Sorceress sighed. Even at her angriest, she couldn't COMPLETELY despise her best and brightest student. "I'll deal with the dragon from now on."

Still, the young apprentice was curious. "Are the dragon eggs really worth THIS much trouble, though?"

"Bianca! Bite your tongue!" Taking a moment to calm down, the Sorceress escorted her apprentice to the window. Their castle sat at the tip of Midnight Mountain, allowing it to be filled with the eternal light of the Sunrise Springs in the distance. By far, their mountains were the most magical places left in the Forgotten Worlds, since they contained the dragon's most powerful relics in the Haunted Tombs and Crystal Islands. But it was obvious to all that the magic was beginning to fade, even from here.

"Your youth spoils your imagination, Bianca," the Sorceress began. It was another of her long-winded lectures, but Bianca much preferred the ramblings of a senile mind to being yelled at. (If anything, she enjoyed hearing stories about the ancient age of dragons.) "The Forgotten Worlds are a shell of what they used to be. Without the dragons, it'll continue drying up until there isn't any magic left.

"I'm not a dragon, Bianca. I can't live forever. Once all of the magic is gone, so am I. And so are the rest of the Crystal Islands wizards. And so is your chance of ever growing up to be a sorceress."

Bianca swallowed the lump in her throat. Becoming a great sorceress had been her dream since she was a little girl. Her grandmother was one of the finest, an instructor at the Crystal Islands Academy of Magicks where the wizards started their witchy crafts. She passed before Bianca could even begin her basic witch training, and the rabbit swore that she'd uphold the family name by becoming one of the greatest sorceresses Midnight Mountain had ever seen. Unfortunately, with the magic drying up as quickly as it was, many of the old crafters were drying up as well. The Sorceress was not only the most powerful of her kind, but she was quickly becoming the ONLY one. Nobody else could teach her magic, at least not to those kinds of extraordinary levels. (And the rabbit gagged at the thought of going back to magic shows and levitation tricks at the Crystal Islands.)

She had always admired dragons. She grew up hearing her grandmother tell the ancient dragon legends, and tell the stories of the days when the Forgotten Worlds were still flooded with their magic. She never wanted to hurt them, but if she was going to save her grandmother's memory, she needed to save the magic. And to save the magic, she needed the dragons here.

"I understand."

"That's right," the Sorceress smirked. "Now, let me show you how a REAL sorceress deals with her enemies."

She snapped her scaly fingers, getting the attention of the first rhynoc she could find. "You there!" The rhynoc looked up in a panic, rushing to tend to his almighty ruler. "How would you like some _dragon _for lunch?"

The rhynoc gave a nervous swallow; confronting the dragon hadn't worked well for the last soldier that got picked to be gemcrafted, or anyone else that had to try and stand in its path. But it was too late, the Sorceress had chosen her target. He had no choice but to give a nod.

The Sorceress waved her arms and staff, the powerful gestures fueling the ancient dragon tongue that boomed forth, echoing down the old halls of the Midnight Castle. As frightening as her magic was, no one in the Forgotten Worlds could deny that she was the greatest sorceress alive. Bianca always took careful notes on the rare occasion she could watch her mentor perform, spotting her own gemcrafting flaws in the process. The Sorceress commanded her magic, twisting and warping it through the air, never once losing her focus. She spoke the draconic tongue flawlessly, never stumbling on her f's as Bianca frequently did.

In a blinding flash of light, the rhynoc emerged transformed, forcing all who were near (including Bianca herself) to take a step back out of fear. He was a monstrous beast, well-built with thick arms and a series of razor-sharp horns. He flexed his clawed fingers around the heavy hammer in his hand, watching it spark to life as he tensed the thick trigger on its handle.

"Let's see how well the dragon fares when he's up against REAL gemcrafting."

oo00oo00oo

With the whirligig fully assembled, as well as a fully-stocked bamboo supply for fuel (thanks to some grateful pandas in the Bamboo Terrace), Spyro, Hunter, and Sheila started their trip towards the Evening Lake with over seventy of the eggs in tow - just shy of halfway to having all of the eggs home safe.

It was well into the night by the time they could take off, making their journey over the mountains that connected the Icy Peak to the Frozen Altars an unnerving one, to say the least. "I sure wouldn't say no to a pair'a rockets keepin' watch durin' the ride," Sheila said with a shiver. (After what happened last time, she and Spyro were keeping their eyes peeled for any Sorceress intervention.) " 'ow come that Byrd fella ain' comin' with?"

"Just has his helmet on a little too tight, that's all," Spyro huffed. He hadn't seen Byrd since their clash in the Enchanted Towers, and didn't mind leaving it that way when they packed up to continue. Byrd gave the same promise Sheila did, to tag along once his home was in order and help save the rest of the dragon eggs from the Sorceress' grubby hands, but Spyro assumed that promise had gone up in smoke.

_And speaking of smoke..._

"WHOA!" The whirligig gave a creaky lurch as Hunter slammed the wheel to the left, forcing it out of the way of the fiery blast that came from the mountains below them. "Who put lasers all the way out here?" the cheetah snapped, struggling to maintain control.

"As if you gotta ask by now?" Sheila pointed out.

Spyro rushed to the edge of the whirligig, scanning the area as quickly as he could to find the attacker. "I don't see anyone...Hunter, try to keep this thing flying. If we rush out of here, I think we can-"

What the Artisan THOUGHT became inconsequential as another blast rocketed from the depths of the mountains, smashing the base of the whirligig. Hunter and Sheila managed to keep hold, but Spyro, perched on the edge, went flying. The purple dragon was thrown from the vehicle, spiraling down to the jagged mountains of ice below.

With a last-minute fervor of flapping, Spyro righted himself and managed to tumble into a safe clearing below...though _safe_ was using the term loosely. After getting to his feet, the Artisan was quickly knocked back down as the clearing shook with a mighty roar, as the spike-laden addition to the Sorceress' army began to give chase.

"Hey, easy there, big guy!" Spyro tried to reason, easily able to outrun the towering beast. "Can't we sit and talk about this or something?"

The dragon received his answer when Spike brought down his hammer, only missing Spyro's wing and tail by fractions of a second. "As usual, I guess that's a no."

So Spyro went through his usual tricks - Spike's hide was fire-proof, and his size made it impossible to blow him over with a charge. Add his constantly-thrashing hammer that made it impossible to stand too close, and Spyro quickly found himself out of options.

Spike continued to tear up the battlefield, kicking up molten debris from underneath the mountains and shaving holes in their icy battlefield as he fired blast after blast of electric energy from his hammer-gun. Using his blind thirst for destruction as a chance to look around, Spyro searched the edges of their field for something to give him an advantage.

Finally, one tumbled down in the form of a hardened lava rock. Figuring he had nothing to lose, Spyro wound up and rushed at it, pushing the projectile into the air with his horns.

_Pow! _The lava rock erupted once it hit Spike's face, leaving a trail of burn marks and rock debris down his mighty chest. Spyro took a moment to revel in his victory, spying plenty of other rocks to assist the battle. "Aw, what's the matter? Can't handle a little magma to the face?"

Apparently, though, he could. Spike quickly wiped away the debris, then made a mighty leap. When he hit the ground, the shock-waves fissured the ground, covering it with plumes of blistering steam. They also loosened the lava rocks, just enough for them to shatter when they hit the ground, eliminating Spyro's slim advantage. "O-kay, so much for that."

He took a second to look towards the skies, where Hunter and Sheila spiraled off with the whirligig. This would be a REALLY good time for them to come back, but of course, he had no way of signalling them.

In his panic, Spyro forgot the number-one lesson of battle: never turn your back to the enemy. Spike took advantage of the half-second slip and blasted his Artisan foe with a hit of electric energy. The dragon was blown back by the blast, his legs and wings frozen in a twitchy spasm as the electric jolt shot through his spine. Spike bellowed a dark laugh; the puny dragon wouldn't make much of a meal, but it would do. Ready to finish the job, he brought his hammer high, wound up a swing...

_BANGBANGBANG-BANG! _Spike cringed slightly as a rain of fire came down from above, swinging at the sky as if he were under fire from some invisible attacker.

With the Sorceress' new pet distracted, Byrd rocketed down to meet the recovering dragon. "My apologies, Spyro; I got here as quickly as I could. Have you sustained heavy damage?"

"Just my pride," Spyro groaned, (though Byrd could see that was less-than-true by looking at the sudden blue glow of his trusty dragonfly), stretching his legs to kick them back into running shape. "What're you doing here?"

"My tactical instincts told me the Sorceress would try to attack you here," Byrd explained. "The Frozen-Icy path is riddled with these hot springs that make for the perfect place for an ambush."

"Thanks for the warning." Seeing that Spike had recovered from the blasting, Spyro grabbed Byrd and tackled him down, rolling them both out of the way of another electric barrage. "Any ideas how to beat this thing?"

Byrd frowned. "Well, I, erh...I thought my rocket-launchers would, y'know-" He was thrown into the air with a squawk as Spike took another shot, landing it directly between his targets. "No, I'm afraid I don't! But if I come up with something, I'll be sure to let you know!"

As Byrd circled the battlefield, trying to catch Spike's attention and lure him away, Spyro was vaguely remembered of another titanic battle - his throwdown with Gulp in the Autumn Manor. With Byrd's flapping and how it was being drowned out by the energy blasts, Spyro was half-expecting a pterodactyl to come down and...

_...Drop some ammo. _"Byrd, quick! Do you have any ammo you can unload? A bomb, a rocket, anything?"

"What good is that going to do?!"

"Trust me!"

As anybody with enough experience in explosives would be, Byrd was a bit apprehensive about dropping live ammunition into a battlefield with an armed giant, but with both warriors at a loss for other ideas, he had no choice. He loosened a spare missile from his clip, trying to drop it as close to his partner as he could.

Spyro rushed towards the spiny projectile, rolling out of the way of another electric barrage once he had it locked in his jaws. Swallowing as much boiling air as he could, the Artisan heated up a flaming breath attack and spat the projectile in a roaring blast.

Normal explosives? Eh. Explosives backed by dragon-fire? Look out. As Spike was too slow to realize when the projectile lodged in his chest and blew him back into the magma pools around the mountainsides, they pack a bit more of a punch.

oo00oo00oo

Once Spike was taken care of, penguin and dragon could meet and catch up. "By the blazes, Spyro, that was brilliant," Byrd complimented. "How did you know that would work?"

"Experience is everything in the heat of battle, soldier," Spyro said with a laugh. It was a piece of advice he heard over and over again from the Peacekeeper elders, but never thought he'd actually use himself one day.

An awkward silence. "So...why'd you come back?" the dragon finally asked.

Byrd softened his stance apologetically. "Thinking back upon things, I may have been a bit harsh on you back at the skate-park. I attacked an ally, which is dishonorable enough, but I did so without giving you a chance to tell your side of the story."

"Actually, you did," Spyro reminded. "I was just too mad at the moment to take that chance." Now that they had a free moment to chat, the Artisan fully extended his golden wings, giving them a few rough flaps. "My wings just aren't big enough to carry my body weight yet," he finally explained. "I can flutter a little bit, and I'm an amazing glider, but if I want to get REALLY airborne, I need a superfly enchantment to get the wind under me. Trust me, it's not for a lack of trying, it's just a lack of growing."

"Runt of the hatchlings, are we?" Byrd asked with a smirk.

Spyro frowned slightly. Just because he knew that, it didn't make it any easier to swallow. "Maybe. Got a problem with it?"

"Not at all," Byrd assured as Hunter finally came around with the whirligig to pick them up. "From one overambitious runt to another, I think it's rather commendable."

* * *

><p><em>Daw, lookit the bonding (and totally ignore that we skipped Bamboo Terrace. Sorry, baller soundtracks aren't enough to get you a chapter). Most annoying boss fight in the game, by far, but somehow came to be one of my favorite chapters. Go fig.<br>_

_Anyway, we've got some chaos to pull in the Evening Lake! And weirdly-paced segments means you guys have three super-special, extra-long chapters to look forward to! So make sure to tune in for all the magic next time! _Thanks for reading, guys! See you next week!__

___________**_§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §_**___________


	41. Trap

**You found a disclaimer!  
><strong>Spyro the Dragon, both the game and all related characters (c) Insomniac Games  
>Spyro 3: Year of the Dragon (c) blah, blah, same copyright<p>

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER FORTY-ONE: Trap<strong>

Bianca fanned herself, her hands shaking nervously as she waited for the whirligig to drop off the dragon and his friends. Nobody was expecting him to survive against the Sorceress' creature, and yet, they watched as their whirligig lifted out of the arena, still in one piece and with all of its passengers safe and sound.

Was there no stopping this creature? Didn't he understand that they were doing it for a good cause? But of course, such a young dragon could never understand what the old days of the Forgotten Worlds were like. If anything, most of the elders were even too young to see the worlds for themselves. The Forgotten Worlds were likely just as legendary there as the dragons were here.

"Alright, Bianca, just calm down," she said, trying to pep-talk her tough face back on. "You can do this. Just be nice and try to talk to the dragon like a normal person. All you have to do is reason with him, and-"

"And what? We'll just change our minds and go away?"

Bianca jumped, scrounging to grab up the edges of her robes before Spyro could think to torch them. "Don't they teach you not to sneak up on people in the Dragon Realms?"

"Yeah, but I'm not a very good listener," Spyro teased.

"I can see that." With a breath, Bianca launched into the speech she had prepared. "Alright, listen up, dragon. ...Spyro. I know I've been threatening you this whole time, but you have to trust me: NOW it's serious. The Sorceress is waiting to spring a trap on you while you're here in Evening Lake, and if she catches you..." SHE knew the details of what was waiting, but it didn't make sharing the details any more uneasy. "...Look, you don't want to know what she's going to do if she catches you."

"Hold on a second," Hunter interrupted. "Why would YOU tell US about the trap? What if you telling us about the trap is really the trap in the first place?"

"The stupid one has a point, Spy," Sparx buzzed from his lounging spot in Spyro's frill.

"Of course I do. ...Hey!"

"Look, I'm not trying to scare you off or anything," Bianca continued. "You have half of them now, don't you? How about we call it even and you guys just go home? I PROMISE to take good care of the ones that are left if you leave them here."

"Oh, yeah, a single rabbit trying to take care of eighty dragonlets?" Spyro scoffed. "You'd be a GREAT guardian."

"Spyro, you don't understand!"

"No, YOU don't understand! These dragon eggs aren't just things that you and your witch friends can use to cast your fancy spells! They're DRAGONS, actual babies that you're taking away from their homes and families! So how about you take a second to actually learn something about all of the eggs you dragon-napped before you try striking some kind of deal with me, okay?"

Spyro turned sharply, heading off towards the lake. He didn't really expect her to understand; how could she? Nobody stole baby rabbits from their families and sold them on the black market to evil sorcerers. Nobody tore her away from her mother before she was hatched so she'd never know her real family. "Sorry, Bianca, but it's all or nothing. Come on, guys, we have eggs to find."

Bianca sighed. She should've figured that wouldn't work. Her first time ever meeting a dragon, and it hates everything about her and won't listen to a word she says; total dream come true. Would it even make any difference to bother explaining? That she DID want the dragons to grow up healthy and happy here, in the worlds where dragons once belonged and needed to belong again?

"Spyro!"

"What?"

She wavered under the heat of his steely eyes. No, it really wouldn't. He was going to fight to get the eggs back, Sorceress or no Sorceress. "...Ago phasmatis draconis, Spyro."

The purple Artisan slid to a halt. The Peacekeeper way of life, and not only was it on the other side of the world, but he was hearing it from his newest nemesis. "...Excuse me?"

"It means good luck. You'll need it."

oo00oo00oo

Sparx stretched his wings as he basked in the lowering sun of the Evening Lake. He loved adventure as much as his partner in crimebusting, but Sparx was the more laid-back of the two by far. Spyro could barely stand the thought of sitting still, but Sparx was more than content to keep off his wings for a few hours and enjoy the cozy grass.

Still, even with his dragon-brother down exploring the lake, Sparx had to keep his dragonfly senses on high alert. And they twitched to life the second Zoe's fluttering came within earshot.

"Hey, Sparx!" The ginger fae giggled at the sight of the dragonfly. "Comfy?"

"I was," Sparx buzzed, taking to the air to meet the young fairy. "What's up?"

"Where's Spyro?"

"Last I checked, underwater. Something about a whale."

"Okay, great!" Before Sparx could ask why she wanted to know, Zoe whipped out her wand and used it to summon a mighty _zap!_, shooting both of them back to the Midday Gardens.

"What was that for?!" Sparx jumped, trying to shake the fairy magic from his wings. (Spyro was much better suited for dealing with fairy zaps than he was.)

"Sorry, I don't have a lot of time to explain!" the fairy apologized, sheparding him up into a crevice just below the Midday Ridge.

"I think I can guess," Sparx buzzed flatly, noting that this was the _second _not-dragon-sized hole she had found for them to explore. "You found another dragon egg hiding in one of these things? Really?"

"Well, think about it: if you were hiding eggs from a dragon, wouldn't you put them somewhere too small for him to get through?"

"...Yeah, I guess."

After carefully traversing the silk-ridden cavern, Zoe finally brought them to a central arena, where a dragon egg lay untouched in its center. "There it is; all you gotta do is rush out and get it."

Sparx looked around. The room was strangely fortified - it looked more like a metal maze than any sort of natural cave. Webbing was strung from every corner, as if this place once belonged to somebody else and had been taken over by cobwebs in their absence. Still, as far as he looked, there was no sign of...well, anything. "So...why did I have to come along? Where's the scary bad guy? Couldn't you get this egg yourself?"

"I..._tried,_" Zoe argued sheepishly. "But when I got close..."

She pointed to the egg, so Sparx quietly flew in to see. Upon closer inspection, the dragon egg was also draped in cobwebs, dotted with the tiny black wriggles of newly-hatched spiders. The dragonfly laughed. "Really? That's it? Baby spiders?"

"Don't laugh," Zoe pouted. "I don't like spiders."

"Alright, I won't laugh," Sparx buzzed, clearly doing everything in his power to uphold that promise. "Okay, Zo, I'll go take care of the big, scary spiders."

He approached the unwatched egg, gently beating his wings to blow off the cobwebs. The baby spiders all squealed as their nests were torn up in the wind, sending them skittering across the ground. Once the egg was cleaned off, he gently laid it on its side and rolled it back to where Zoe was waiting. "See? Nothing to it."

As he and the egg moved along, though, Sparx noticed that the spiders he brushed away weren't going away as he thought. In fact, quite the opposite: it seemed that there were MORE of them, rushing past as they poked out from the cracks and cobwebs that littered the walls. "Hey, what's the rush?" he buzzed, stopping to blow them away from the dragon egg. "Where you guys go-"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK! SPARX, LOOK OUT!"

Spinning around at the sound of Zoe's shriek, Sparx just barely had time to dodge the spinning black disc that shot towards him and the egg. Giving the egg a gentle shove to roll it out of the way, the dragonfly shot off in the other direction, hoping to direct the attack away from the unhatched dragonlet.

The disc took the bait, skidding to a stop. Once it slowed down, Sparx could get a better look at its features; namely, the toxic green markings on its back and its spindly spider legs. An arachnul, the sick offspring of a tarantula and a draclet...and judging by its size, this one was the queen.

Sparx fluttered backwards step by step, trying not to spook the impending monster as it clicked closer and closer to him. "Uhm...hey, Your Majesty! Uhm...sorry about, y'know, that thing with the, uh...the baby spiders and all, but that egg you have over there is kind of-"

Before he could finish making his case, the arachnul queen reared back with a hiss, opening her slimy jaws wide. Her belly gave a shudder, and waves upon waves of tiny black spiders poured out, rushing towards Sparx with only one thought written in their beady, glittery eyes - _lunchtime._

In a panic, Sparx reared back himself, spitting a line of flyfire to fight back the sudden mob of enemies. His attack tore through the wave of baby spiders, but by the time the shots got to the queen, she jumped into another vicious spin. Every single spark simply bounced off.

The arachnul shoved off the ground with her spindly legs, right before they went limp to aid in her spin, becoming deadly whips at all angles. But instead of rushing towards Sparx, she rocketed off in another direction entirely.

Towards Zoe and the egg. "ZOE, LOOK OUT!"

Zoe, nearly paralyzed out of fear (why did it have to be SPIDERS?), had to force her hand up. Leaving would've meant abandoning the dragon egg, which she couldn't do. Despite shaking like a leaf, she managed to unleash a single zap of fairy magic. It wasn't much, but it did bounce the queen back slightly, ending her spin and protecting the egg.

For a moment, she seemed safe, but the fairy froze up once more when the arachnul reared back once more with another slobbery hiss. Trying to rush to the rescue, Sparx charged in as fast as his wings would carry him, and managed to give the queen a swift headbutt before she could unleash another small wave of minions.

The arachnul queen shook off the minor attack from behind and went into another frenzy, grabbing the dragonfly in her wild limbs and tossing him against a wall, where he was rightly smashed. "Sparx!" Her arachnaphobia blinded by concern for the green-looking dragonfly, Zoe re-tightened her grip on her wand and summoned another bolt of fairy magic - one to dizzy the queen, another to summon a butterfly.

The bolt of magic bounced off of the arachnul's shell, though it did push her aside and stop her spinning, as the first had done. After the richochet, the magic hit the wall near where Sparx was nearly-splattered, materializing into a butterfly...though not the usual pink-and-yellow of dragon fodder, but rather an odd shade of draclet green.

Sparx, head spinning from the attack, saw the familiar shape and choked it down anyway. He gave a shudder, color not changing to reflect the lack of sweet healing nectar the butterfly normally provided. Instead, this butterfly left a burning in his throat and a thick, hot smoke in his chest - nothing a fire dragon's dragonfly couldn't handle, but still not too pleasant.

Awoken by the sour taste in his mouth, Sparx saw the arachnul queen also recover, rearing up for another blast of baby spiders. Realizing his opportunity, the dragonfly did the same, unleashing a stream of flyfire to combat the spiders as they spewed forth.

Instead of his normal stream, though, the butterfly's burning exploded into a furious jet stream of flame - a dragonfly super-flame, if you would. The arachnul, still suspect to the draclet's great weakness to heat, couldn't spit spiders fast enough to protect herself. She writhed and shrieked in pain before falling flat and crumbling into a pile of gems.

With the danger gone (ignoring the tiny spiderlets that still hid in the cobwebs), Zoe rushed over to tend to Sparx, who fell flat against the ground as well. "Oh, my gosh, Sparx, are you okay?"

"I'll be fine if you promise to NEVER drag me into one of these again," Sparx buzzed flatly.

Biting her lip, the young fairy gently scratched at the delicate spot right between the dragonfly's antennae. "Sorry."

"You hang out with Elora too much."

"Huh?"

Sparx smirked, not unlike what his dragon would've done. "You two apologize way too much."

Zoe laughed, making a proper butterfly to help Sparx back onto his feet. "Well, uhm...thanks for your help."

"Hey, you helped, too."

The fairy blushed slightly. "Oh, that was nothing. I-I was just...y'know, just...I'm nowhere near the hero that you are."

Sparx couldn't help but let that sentence roll in his head for a bit as Zoe went to recover the egg. The hero that HE was - not Spyro, but HIM. Ever since they were hatchlings, Sparx had always just accepted his role as the sidekick. Spyro was the crazy hero dragon that would jump into the heat of battle and save the day, and he would live the cushy life of fame, fortune, and free rides in Spyro's frill. Hearing that HE was the star of the show was a bit of a shock, but not something he couldn't get used to. Could he really do this save-the-world thing on his own? Battle epic monsters? Save dragon eggs from evil lairs? Rescue gorgeous damsels in distress?

...Alright, so he was already there. (Especially on that last one, though he knew Spyro'd never let him live it down if he admitted to having a crush on a girl.)

"Alright, that does it for eggs here. We should probably get you back to the Evening Lake."

"Oh, right. Yeah, before Spyro notices I'm gone."

"Hey, Sparx?"

"Yeah?"

"Just, uhm..." Zoe's wings fluttered nervously. How hard was it to say? 'We should hang out sometimes, without having to go adventuring for eggs.' Don't have to say the word date, just "hanging out." They were heading back to Evening Lake, and the fairy lofts in the Charmed Ridge were supposed to be beautiful for picnics. All she had to do was force the words out of her mouth.

And yet, she couldn't. "Just...thanks again for putting up with all this mess."

"All in a day's work. ...Hey, Zoe?"

The fairy tried to hide how hard her heart was beating. Was Sparx thinking the same thing? What could he want? A date? A kiss, even? The last thought popped into her mind as the dragonfly fluttered just a bit closer, turning her cheeks almost as red as her locks. "Y-Yeah?"

"You, uh...have a spider in your hair."

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK! Oh, my gosh, are you serious?! Augh, get it off, get it off! Sparx, this isn't funny! If you're joking, I'm going to kill you! I HATE spiders! Oh, my, get it off, get it off, GET IT OFF!"

oo00oo00oo

After the spider crisis was taken care of, Zoe zapped them both back to Evening Lake, bidding her hero farewell before she returned to her own egg-hunt. Sparx found the flower he was resting by when she first showed up, just seconds before Spyro finally emerged from the lake.

So there they were, a dragonfly covered in bruises and cobwebs, meeting his dragon, who was covered in bite marks and whale slobber.

"I won't ask if you won't."

"Deal."

oo00oo00oo

And so, Spyro and Sparx found the rest of the eggs, gems, and other little secrets in the Evening Lake.

...Or so it seemed.

"I just feel like we're missing something, y'know?" Spyro said, mind racing as he paced around outside of the Evening Castle.

"Hey, Spyro?"

"I mean, we've been in the station, around the castle, up on the towers..."

"Spyro?"

"I'm pretty sure we've been through the whole lake a few times, and I'm not messing with that whale any more than I have to..."

"Spy~ro! Hello?"

"I just get that weird feeling that we're missing something! Like there's an area we didn't cover yet, or-"

"SPYRO!" The Artisan slipped slightly, his attention FINALLY turning to his dragonfly. "Man, you're dense. Do we need to get your hearing checked when we get back to the Dragon Realms?"

"Sorry, sorry," Spyro grumbled, getting back to his feet. "What is it?"

Sparx flew over to the front-most tower, pointing at some inaccessible area behind the ladders that led up to the upper levels. "I think there's something in here that you missed. And I think I saw a door down in the lake that might lead up here."

Spyro looked down into the water, spotting the doorway that Sparx mentioned. In his rush through the lake, he must've missed it. The dragon looked back up, eyes narrowed in a bit of suspicious confusion. "Wait, how do you know there's something there?"

Sparx didn't have an answer right away. Well, he did, somewhat - his dragonfly senses were going berserk, telling him there were bags of dragon treasure right behind the wall. What he COULDN'T answer was how he could suddenly pick up on it. Some dragonflies had the ability to sense things like magic and dragon treasure, but he wasn't one of them. Usually, those dragonflies were much older, and tended to be tied to the...

_Magic Crafters. _Could Zoe's magic and the dragon eggs be messing with his dragon sense?

He'd have to ask next time he saw her. For now, he'd have to come up with something convincing to fool Spyro. "Dude, come on, I'm a dragonfly," he scoffed. "It's my job to catch the things you're too dumb to spot, remember?"

Sparx wasn't quite sure he bought it, but at least Spyro dropped the subject. "Yeah, yeah, and it's my job to feed you for floating around and doing nothing," he laughed. "Come on, let's go!"

The duo rushed into the water, ducking into the underwater passage and coming up within the tower, just as Sparx had predicted.

And the tower shook as they broke the water's surface inside. It wasn't a pile of dragon treasure, like Sparx had thought, but a towering yeti in one of the Sorceress' golden cages. A blue-tinted club lay at the cage's base, just out of reach for the snow-giant, who found himself gagged and bound at the hands regardless. Still, with his feet free, the monster stomped and kicked as much as he could, desperate for escape, with blind screaming that became incomprehensible thanks to the rope and cloth over his mouth.

Spyro considered running back out - their previous experiences with the yetis weren't particularly pleasant - but stopped when he saw Moneybags' fat tail sticking out from behind an unloading box. "Sparx, go untie the yeti," he whispered quietly. If Moneybags and the golden cages were involved, he may have to re-evaluate his stance on yetis.

The dragonfly nodded, buzzing off before Moneybags stood up to find him, leaving Spyro to climb out and distract him. "Hey, Moneybags, whatcha got here?"

Moneybags gave a bit of a shriek when Spyro snuck up on him. Babysitting the yeti was a nightmare, especially after the kangaroo and the penguin before it being fairly gentle creatures (while in their cages, anyway). Every bump and jolt gave the bear a heart-attack, as any of those sounds could be the monster breaking out of its trap, going on a mad yeti rampage to devour everyone it finds. He still remembered the Colossus yeti tragedy quite fondly, and didn't want to find himself in the same spot as Brother Andrew.

"Oh, Spyro!" the bear panted, fanning himself in an attempt to calm down. "D-Didn't hear you come in! Still, uh, looking for those d-dragon eggs?"

"I _was_," Spyro answered. "What's up with the yeti?"

"O-Oh, the yeti?" Moneybags choked, trying not to make eye contact with his bloodthirsty captive. "O-Oh, you know how that new job with the Sorceress goes. She, uh, found this one roaming in the Frozen Alps! A-And you remember how awful these yetis can be if you let them run rampant near a hockey rink, right, Spyro? L-Luckily, he's all cooped up in this cage now, so he won't be eating anybody anytime soon, right?"

"WHY, YOU BRAZENLY AVARICIOUS, DUPLICITOUS, LARCENOUS URSINE!"

Both Spyro and Moneybags took a nervous step back as the yeti, now free of its bindings, smashed through the cage door, reclaiming his club and storming towards them. "N-Now hold on, furball!" Moneybags tried to argue, putting on his tough face. "D-Don't think you can just-"

_POW! WHAM! WHACK! BAM! _Spyro ducked down, lifting a wing to shield both his eyes and Sparx's from the carnage. Suddenly, the brutal beating stopped, and the dragon looked up to see the yeti calmly kneel towards him. "Oh, excuse my manners, dragon. If this is one of your companions, I will cease my actions immediately."

Spyro looked over at the bruised and beaten Moneybags in front of them. "Nah, you can keep hitting him."

"Delightful." With a bit of a cackle, the yeti gave the pompous bear one final whack, sending him crashing into the watery pathway.

He then gave a mighty yawn, stretching his burly arms. "Ah, the first rejuvenating breath of freedom!" The yeti lowered his club, giving a graceful bow. "With the humility of a wounded sparrow, I genuflect on my noble deliverer."

Spyro wasn't sure what confused him more: the fact that he wasn't yeti-chow or what in the world the yeti was saying. "Uh...sure. It was no big deal, really."

They went through the usual speeches: the yeti introduced himself as Bentley, and Spyro had to once again explain that he was in the Forgotten Worlds to hunt down dragon eggs that were stolen by the Sorceress.

"Stealing dragon eggs on the eve of the Year of the Dragon celebration?" Bentley tsked. "A most tragic situation; my humblest apologies for any inconveniences the Sorceress may have caused for you or the other dragons."

"Hey, man, it's cool. Not your fault. But if it's not too much to ask, would you mind giving us a hand in finding them?"

"It would be my honor to assist in such an exigent undertaking, my draconic companion, but I must temporarily decline," Bentley answered with a shake of his head. "My younger sibling Bartholomew has been left to his own devices in our outpost, and the Sorceress' armies are most certainly prowling the mountains. However, once I can be certain that my brother is out of harm's way, I will gladly reciprocate the favor of kindness."

The draconic duo watched as Bentley gave them a final bow, then rushed through his portal home. "I think he said he'll help after finding his brother," Sparx tried to translate.

"Good, you caught more of it than I did."

* * *

><p><em>I warned you guys we're in for a few long chapters. XD Anyway, where will the misadventures of Evening Lake take our heroes next? Tune in next week and find out! Thanks for reading, guys, hope you enjoyed! :)<em>

_**Tucker's Mayflower**, awkwardly signing off without the ability to copy-paste her sig until the copy protection disabler patches through!_


	42. Fire(works) and Ice

_You guys know the disclaimer deal by now...Let this be known as the dark ages of copy-protection on FFN preventing my laziness!_

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER FORTY-TWO: Fire(works) and Ice<strong>

Spyro and Sparx stayed low as they prowled through the gates of the Fireworks Factory, the full moon high in the midnight sky above to guide them through the lava-filled plains. According to the locals, the Fireworks Factory was enchanted long ago by a breed of Evening dragons (that sounded a bit like Magic Crafters and Peacekeepers, if such a blend could ever exist) to suspend the world in eternal night so they could practice their fire magic. Fireworks are exceptionally dull during the day. When the dragons left the Forgotten Realms, they took their ancient fireworks magic with them, so the Sorceress and her rhynocs moved in. They used the eternal veil of night to their advantage; the Fireworks Factory became a secret training base for her private army of ninjas.

The rhynocs weren't the only acrobatic shadows moving through the Factory, though. Moments within arriving at the elaborate draconic gates, they were confronted by a beastly rhynoc, plated in armor to protect him from any dragon attacks. And before Spyro even had to bother calculating a way around him, the rhynoc brute was grabbed and thrown, crashing into a glittery gem. "Hi, Spywo! Long time, no see!"

"Should've guessed I'd find you two in a place covered with ninjas," Spyro laughed, finding the pigtailed blonde responsible for the rhynoc's demise. "What are you doing all of the way out here?"

"We heard about the dwagon eggs getting captuwed, so we came to help," Greta answered. "Plus, the Sorcewess sent some rwynocs to steal some wocket plans of the Pwofessor's, so we gotta deal with that, too."

"Sorry, what was that about a rocket?"

Greta giggled with a toss of her hand. "Don' wowwy about it, Handel and I got it." (After their adventure in Scorch, Spyro knew better than to question Greta's capability.) "Speaking of my bwother, though, have you seen him? He was supposed to meet me here, and he hasn't showed up yet."

"Handel got captured AGAIN?"

"Yah, he's good at dat," Greta sighed frustratedly. "How 'bout we go wook fer him together? I'll keep my eyes peeled fer dwagon eggs if you keep yer eyes peeled fer Handel, 'kay?"

"Something tells me you're not going to need my help," Spyro couldn't help but laugh. "But sure, if I find him, I'll send him your way."

"Thanks, Spywo!" With that, the blonde ran off, flip-kicking a pair of surprise ninjas in the face before rushing through the gates.

"Seriously, how does she learn to do all of this without ever learning what the letter 'r' sounds like?" Sparx buzzed.

"You should talk. Come on, let's go catch up before she takes all the rhynocs for herself!"

oo00oo00oo

Perhaps not-so-luckily for Spyro, that didn't seem to be the case. The Fireworks Factory was CRAWLING with rhynocs; the ninjas that jumped out from around every corner were in no short supply, and even a mighty brawler like Spyro was starting to tire slightly from pushing through the endless waves.

After a few hundred fights, the Artisan finally started to notice something odd about the ninjas of the Factory. Most enemies in the Forgotten Realms collapsed into a gem when defeated. Like Gnasty Gnorc, the Sorceress was a practitioner of gemcrafting, the ability to channel the magical energies of dragon treasure into a small foot-soldier for battle. However, the ninjas didn't follow suit. They simply vanished into thin air.

It reminded Spyro vaguely of his trip through Avalar. Ripto's riptocs weren't based in gemcrafting, but a different brand of magic altogether, one that involved siphoning spirit particles from the Avalari magic to transfigure instead. But these enemies didn't drop spirit particles, either. So where did they come from?

"Spywo, look out!"

Just before Spyro found himself buried under a gang of ninjas, Greta swooped into the scene, drop-kicking the leader and stealing his quarterstaff before using it against his companions. "Whoa! Thanks for the save, I didn't even see those guys coming."

"A'course you didn't, they'we ninjas."

"Yeah, about the millionth ones I've seen. Seriously, where are they all coming from?"

"A box."

"Yeah, very funny, Greta."

"No, sewiously." Biting back a giggle at Spyro's cynical look of disbelief, she motioned up to the top of one of the watchtowers before effortlessly bounding to the top. "Come on, Spywo! Up hewe!"

After a bit of a trip that involved lots of winding through corridors and a trip through an old dragon-cannon, Spyro finally caught up to the super-secret agent. ("How'd you get up here so fast?" "Easy; I just fweed my mind.") She motioned for him to be quiet, then led as they quietly tip-toed their way around the corner to the grand staircase.

Sitting on either side of the steps were a pair of metal boxes, with ninja-faces and the word "Ninja!" sloppily painted on the outside. Indeed, as they sat and watched, ninjas poured out of the boxes, tumbling swiftly into the areas below, ready to strike en masse on anybody else who would dare to breech their sacred training grounds.

"I'm lucky you came awound when you did, Spywo," Greta whispered. "Those boxes are made of metal, so I can't smash 'em without Handel. I think yer howns could make pwetty quick work of it, though."

"You don't have to tell me twice." Rushing as quick as he could, trying not to alert the other ninjas, Spyro charged out and bashed into the set of boxes. As predicted, they crumpled under the weight of his horns, shattering into a pair of sparkling five-piece gems.

That would take care of their ninja problems, but Spyro couldn't help but gulp uneasily as he realized their newest problem: not only was the Sorceress a master gemcrafter, but she could gemcraft boxes that spewed out enemies nonstop. What other extreme crafting magic did she know?

oo00oo00oo

"Spywo! I found the wocket!"

The Sorceress had taken the Fireworks Palace for herself, and Spyro and Greta had to slog through crowds of box-produced ninjas to climb up the royal stairs and reach the moonlight balcony, which she had turned into her private launching pad.

"Keep 'em off my back!" Greta called out. "I'm gonna go destwoy the wocket!"

"Got it!" Spyro called back, just before whipping his flame in a circle to push back the mobs and make headway towards the boxes.

With Spyro managing the crowds out front, Greta made her move. She charged down the ninja guarding the door before jumping into the air, coming down hard as she drop-kicked the next ninja in line. The blonde tumbled out onto the balcony, then kicked the first ninja to attack before running up and over the wall, spooking his partner by dropping down behind him and kicking him in the back of the head.

With the ninjas defeated, at least for now, she turned to the control panel, cracking her fingers as she prepared for one of the most intensive hacking sessions of her young life.

It was only one button. That made things easier.

She pressed the flashing red trigger, then stumbled slightly as the balcony began to shake. The floor pulled out, revealing a large draconic fire-rocket with a glittering white package tied to its side. A hot and smoky spark lit the fuse, and with a roaring explosion, the rocket took off before anybody could do anything.

Luckily, rhynocs aren't known for much. Being disastrously incompetent is one of their defining features, though.

The rocket shredded to pieces before it even approached the atmosphere, exploding into a colorful fit of fireworks magic. The parcel it was carrying spiraled down to Earth, crash-landing on the balcony right at Greta's feet.

Spyro gave a whistle, clearing out the ninja-boxes just in time to watch the glorious destruction of the Sorceress' rocket. "Well, at least they put on a show."

"Good thing whynocs aren't good at building things."

"What did the Sorceress want with a rocket, anyway?"

Greta offered Spyro the package; upon closer inspection, it was yet another of the missing dragon eggs. "Something tells me they were twying to put this into orbit."

oo00oo00oo

Despite still missing Handel, ("Oh, he'll tuwn up."), Greta graciously offered to bring the Professor's rocket plans back to Evening Lake and begin construction on a rocket that would take them to the tip of Midnight Mountain, where the Sorceress' lair lie in hiding. Their whirligig simply wouldn't be able to handle the complications of the higher altitudes.

"Seriously, Spyro, she's the coolest. Why do we have Hunter for a sidekick and not her? We could've found the dragon eggs, like, yesterday."

"Look who's talking, sidekick. ...Where is Hunter, anyway?"

_CLANK! _"AAAAAUuuu_gghhh..._"

"What was that?!" Rushing out, Spyro and Sparx quickly glanced over the Evening Lake. Despite the noises, there was nothing to be found.

"...That was weird."

"Yeah, seriously. But whatever it was, it's gone now. Come on, we can't waste time looking for it; we have dragon eggs to find."

oo00oo00oo

"Man, I thought we left all the cold in Icy Peak," Sparx buzzed, shaking the snow off of his wings.

"The place is called 'Frozen Altars'," Spyro pointed out with a laugh, trotting out into the aptly-named weather. Granted, he grew up between the sunny warmth of the Artisans and the brutal heat of the Peacekeepers, but when you get down to it, Spyro is, was, and always would be a fire dragon. No amount of cold could ever bother a creature that could conjure flame from his breath. (Besides, Spyro loved ice-skating too much.)

Before Spyro and his flame-breath could make quick work of the Frozen Altars, though, they were stopped by a strangely-familiar face: a fairy. He had passed by many families of fairies over his travels - Artisan fairies like Saffron were blonde while Dream Weaver fairies like Zoe were redheaded, for example - but this type was unfamiliar. Most fairies were colorful, but this one was entirely blue, from the dark cobalt of her dress to the frozen icy color on her skin.

"Hi, Spyro," she smiled, her voice quiet and airy, as if speaking through the wind. "My name is Gabrielle, and welcome to the Frozen Altars."

"Nice to meet you," Spyro greeted, clumsily trying to mimic a bow. Regardless of their color, he had yet to find a fairy that was an unfriendly face.

"Oh, we've just heard all about you and all you've done across the Forgotten Realms so far!" she giggled. "So on behalf of the ice fairies, I've come to give you a special gift! Enjoy it for as long as you spend time here in our world!"

Before the Artisan could question, she knelt down and put her frosted lips between his horns. _Mwah! _Fairy kisses are a powerful source of magic, no matter what part of the dragon worlds you're in. For Spyro, they were his first taste of a super-flame; it was the familiar heated fury that warmed his chest, but also came with a sort of enchanted confidence, like a lull that reminded him he could never be hurt so long as the fairies were watching over him. (Fairy magic was the only REAL explanation of how he could spend so many hours plummeting off cliffs in the High Caves to an otherwise-certain doom.)

This time, however, it was different. Spyro shuddered violently as his chest seized up, causing his muscles to tense and his scales to pale. He coughed and sputtered, desperate to breathe a lick of fire and warm the sudden crippling chill in his chest, but it refused to respond. Fumes of icy vapor shot out in its place, numbing his tongue and lips as the cold air sank under his scales, causing him to shake as his muscles adjusted to the violent temperature drop.

Finally, with a huge breath, Spyro reared back and spat, unleashing a mighty blast of ice in place of his typical fiery breath.

Seeing that she had done her part, Gabrielle disappeared, making sure she was out of earshot before magically tapping into one of the Sorceress' communication lines:

"Hi, Sorceress, it's Gabi. Don't worry, I took care of dragon-boy for ya. He's not setting fires in Frozen Altars anytime soon."

oo00oo00oo

It took a while, but Spyro eventually re-acclimated to the temperature and could continue his journey. He was an ice-dragon now, but if Gabrielle's words were true, the change in draconic element was only temporary. He would just have to bear the cold for a bit longer.

He'd also have a bit of research to do once he returned to the Artisans, as much as the idea of bookwork pained him. He could breathe underwater like a water dragon, and now a fairy enchanted his fire breath into its elemental opposite. What kind of fire dragon could stomach water and ice so well? If there were any more surprises that his mysterious background might have contributed, he figured life would be better the sooner he could figure them all out. Perhaps it would even lead to insight on who his parents were and where they came from. He could almost picture it; a mother, a water dragon, blue-scaled and raised on the artistic greens of Stone Hill; and a father, a brash red like Delbin and Magnus, a fire dragon hardened in the fiery deserts of the Peacekeepers. And their son, one of the far and few purple dragons, a perfect clash of worlds.

For now, though, he had dragon eggs to find, so it was time for a quiet walk through the Frozen-

"SPYRO, LOOK OUT, GIANT KILLER SNOWMAN!"

The purple dragon's brain grinded to a halt as it tried to process Sparx's warning, so muscle memory took over and forced him to roll out of the way. Indeed, what seemed like a relatively-quiet world was just as rhynoc-infested as the rest of the Forgotten Worlds. This one was taken over by towering snowmen.

"Oh, relax, Sparx," Spyro laughed, realizing what had happened and facing down the giant flailing snow-monster once more. "This guy doesn't look _snow bad!_" Rearing back, Spyro swallowed a crisp lungful of the icy Altars air, then unleashed his mighty breath to melt the monstrosity down to size.

...

_Right. Ice breath._

Too slow to realize his mistake, the snowman took advantage of Spyro's misstep, retaliating by grabbing the dragon and hurling him across the courtyard. "I think that one was for the ice-pun," Sparx laughed, watching as his partner crashed into a snow-drift and struggled to dig himself out.

"You can't just run at those things, dragon," one of the locals, Alex, pointed out casually with a flip of his feathers. "You're not gonna beat a snowman by throwing snow at it, you dig?"

"Well, how else do I get through that thing?"

Alex stretched his flippers behind his head before casually nodding to the building he leaned against. "You could give this a shot."

"What is it?"

"Laser defense system. Some fat bear came in and sold it to us, but we can't work it. Not flipper-friendly, you dig?"

Curious, Spyro stepped inside. It was a simple mechanism; a large control stick sat in the middle of the room, and a screen with a red line and several red dots decorated it. One end of the line was fixed, and moving the joystick forced the other end to move around. (How the locals' flippers prevented them from operating it, he had no idea.) Putting the pieces together, Spyro moved the red line until it overlapped with the largest of the dots on-screen. Immediately after, he heard a series of shrinking screams and yelps come from the snow-monster outside. The dot vanished, and sure enough, there was little more of the snow-beast than a puddle of warm water and a shiny ten-piece gem.

Yes, Moneybags' laser-defense system would actually work quite nicely.

oo00oo00oo

If you looked past the all-powerful ice fairies and the abominable snowmonsters, the Frozen Altars were a pleasant homeworld. The locals especially were fine creatures, incredibly laid back without a care in the world apart from maintaining their sports circuits. Which Spyro had full intention of exploring while he was in the area.

Boxing was the first thing to catch his eye. It wasn't a quadraped-friendly sport, so he had never tried it, but the Peacekeepers frequently threw wrestling and boxing matches between the full-growns. They were brutal sports, amazing spectacles of strength and tenacity to behold, even if this version wouldn't contain dragons.

But if you can't get a pair of dragons, yetis would do the trick. Especially since Spyro spotted a friendly face in the ring. "Hey, Bentley, what's up?"

Bentley, in the midst of strapping on a pair of boxing gloves, paused to give Spyro a gracious bow as the dragon approached. "Nice to see you again, Spyro! What a pleasant coincidence to cross paths with you on this lovely day in the Altars. How goes the search for the dragon eggs?"

"Well enough. What're you doing here?"

Bentley sighed, biting back a groan. "Assisting my little brother, Bartholomew. You see-"

"There's a big, dumb yeti here, and he stole my ball!" There was a much smaller yeti on Bentley's side of the ring; a scale model of Bentley with lighter, curlier fur and big, green eyes (and an accent noticeably coarser than the older's). "Bentley's gonna kick his butt and make him give it back! Right, big bro?"

Bentley made his best attempt at a non-embarrassed smile. "Spyro, this would be my younger sibling. He's having a bit of trouble with the local yetis, and I'm going to attempt to rectify the situation."

With his protective gear strapped on, Bentley jumped into the ring with a mighty thump, approaching Bartholomew's nemesis, an older yeti that spoke a bit truer to the yetis Spyro knew from the Colossus mountains. "Excuse me, good sir! According to my brother, I believe you two are in the midst of a bit of a kerfuffle! You are mistakenly in possession of his favorite ball, and must request that you return it to him posthaste."

The yeti roared, curling his claws into a pair of clunky fists before throwing a series of punches. Already prepared with a pair of gloves, Bentley deflected as many of the blows as he could. "Excuse me, sir, but I don't think this needs to turn to violence. I am merely here to reclaim my sibling's ball, not to-"

_POW! _Bentley stumbled as the yeti got in a lucky hit, cracking him in the nose. If Bentley weren't a yeti himself, it likely would've shattered under the pressure. Instead, though, he merely wiped off the attack, clenching his own fists. "Alright, sir, if I have to retake my brother's property by force, so be it."

With a mighty growl, Bentley threw back his fist, hitting the yeti with a mighty right hook. The yeti fell back, but only for a moment before rushing at him again, arms flailing in a mania of rabid punches. Bentley held his ground the best he could, holding his gloves to his face to protect against the onslaught. When the yeti fell back to catch his breath, Benthey stepped forward with another smashing hook, sending the yeti stumbling back to his corner.

He held out a glove. "Now then. The ball please, my good sir?"

The yeti grumbled and grunted, then hurled a sparkly white sphere at little Bartholomew, sending the baby yeti tumbling. "Oi! That's my little brother you're messing with! Watch what you're hurling!"

Spyro tended to Bartholomew. "You alright, little guy?"

Bartholomew righted himself quickly, but threw a screaming fit when he saw the "ball" in his lap. It wasn't his ball at all, but rather another of the elusive dragon eggs. "BRO! This isn't my bloody ball at all! It's just some stupid egg! Go in there and get my ball back!"

The yeti pressed against the boxing ropes, screaming and growling at the youngest of them, a mix between a threatening roar and a taunt. "Sir, you are testing my patience!" Bentley snapped. "This is the last time I will ask nicely! Please return my brother's ball before I have to take it back by force!"

The yeti stamped and screamed, then rushed in for Round Two of their fight. He went in for another mad assault, punching and scratching at everything he could get his paws on. Bentley held his gloves at the ready, sliding back on the slick ice ring as he staved off the attacks. When he saw his opening, Bentley dizzied the yeti with a mighty uppercut, then went to town. The yeti had no choice but to take the onslaught of jabs to the face and gut, and with a stunned groan and broken face, he fell to the ground.

"Yeah!" Bartholomew cheered. "That's my big brother! Man, Bentley, you really showed him! He was all, like, RAWR, and you were, like, wha-bam! Hook here, jab there, whammo!"

"Yes, yes, Bartholomew, it was quite a match," Bentley acknowledged with a roll of his eyes. Spyro laughed. He was brought back to his days dragonlet-sitting in the Artisans, and how the little ones would awe and gape at Spyro's young daredevil feats. (He himself sounded like Bartholomew once, drooling over the heroic feats of the full-growns and the legends of the dragon elders.)

The elder of the yeti brothers handed Spyro another shiny dragon egg; number 89, safe and sound. "I believe you're looking for these, Spyro? Seems like that troublesome yeti's been doing more than stealing toys."

"BENT~LEY!" Bartholomew whined. "Did you really let that dumb yeti send you back with ANOTHER stupid egg?! Go back in there and beat him until he gives me my ball!"

With a tired sigh, Bentley then produced a red bouncy-ball, tossing it to his sibling. "My apologies, Spyro. Bartholomew has a bit of a temper." (Bartholomew wasn't the one who shattered a yeti's face with a pair of boxing gloves, but Spyro wasn't about to point that out.) "Now that I've rectified the situation, I think SOMEBODY needs to go back to the outpost where he won't be causing any troubles."

"Aw, come on, Bentley!" the younger of the yeti brothers pouted. "I can help!"

"Help us find more of the "stupid" eggs you've been complaining about?" With a shake of his head as Bartholomew continued to whine and throw a fit, Bentley gave a gracious nod. "You can see why I had to decline your quest earlier. My little brother can be more of a menace than any number of rhynocs sometimes if he gets out of hand." ("Menace?! You watch your mouth, brother! By the gods, you'd be doomed without me! What, you were expecting to _lecture _all of those rhynocs out of the outpost? Bore them off the mountain with some old dragon poetry?")

"It's okay, Bentley, I know where you're coming from," Spyro laughed. When he was Bartholomew's age, he certainly pulled the same antics on Delbin time and time again.

"I will most certainly resume the search of the dragon eggs once my brother is back home in the outpost. If I don't fancy a walk through Bamboo Terrace to clear my head first, that is."

oo00oo00oo

Cat hockey. On the outside, it sounded like the most ridiculous concoction anyone could ever come up with. A game of hockey where you replace the sticks with ice-guns and the pucks with cats? It was madness. (And yet, Spyro could picture the ancient dragons playing this sport, provided the Frozen Altars were inhabited by olden Dream Weavers.)

Everything changed once the dragonlet hit the ice.

He was a natural pro at the game, thanks to his comfort and expertise on an ice rink. (He wasn't considered one of the best offenses in the Colossus line-up for nothing.) The ice-breath that was inhibiting him throughout the Altars finally became an asset (for something other than freezing Moneybags at the door to steal tickets and get in), since it allowed him to play without having to wield the specialized freezing-sticks to manipulate the cat-pucks.

It was also very simple. The rink filled with stray cats, and your job was to freeze them so they wouldn't squirm, then nudge them to your goal, where a heat-barrier would defrost them and lead them to a scratching pole of catnip, leaving them in your goal to be counted. The first player to five cats would win.

Errol "sprained his flipper" and had to step down, so Spyro volunteered to play a round in the tournament in his place. The local champion, as all of the other "local champs" before him, wasn't happy to see a dragon from the other side of the world show up to usurp his hard-earned crown.

Game on.

Within minutes, Spyro had already rounded up a pair of cats and shepherded them towards his goal. The local champ wasn't having as much luck. Cats weren't a fan of rhynocs, who knew? The squirmy creatures were a mess on the ice, sliding every which way as they struggled to get their balance and escape their burly pursuers.

As Spyro froze his third cat, ready to gently guide it back to his goal, the dragon was bashed out of the way by his opponent, who cracked the frozen cat across the rink, flying into his own goal. He scoffed before getting back to his feet. "When will you rhynocs learn to play fair?"

By the end of the match, Spyro's goal was filled with a flurry of kittens, all clawing over each other with a bunch of playful mewls, hungry to get a taste of the catnip that coated the scratching post. The other goal was empty, save for one glorious rhynoc ice-sculpture. Messing with a fire dragon came with its own serious repercussions. But ice dragons could take care of themselves well enough.

"We should come back later once we find Hunter. I'd love to throw down with him in the rink. Once he learns how to ice-skate, anyway."

"...Where is Hunter, anyway?"

"I dunno. Ah, I'm sure he'll turn up. Come on, we've goofed off enough. We've got eggs to find, let's go."

* * *

><p><em>Week two of the unnecessarily-long chapters! Where will we explore next? And will anyone ever realize what actually happened to Hunter? Find out next week! Thanks for reading, guys; hope you enjoyed! :D<em>

_TM, still unable to copy-paste her sig from previous chapters, signing off!_


	43. Charming

**CHAPTER FORTY-THREE: Charming  
><strong>

"So let me get this straight: your princess has been kidnapped by a cat, forced to marry the evil cat prince. And his army of evil cat-wizards has taken over the Ridge to keep you guys from finding and rescuing her."

"Oui," Liz nodded, a pleading look in her sparkling fairy eyes. "Will you 'elp us, Spyro? Please?"

Of course he would. At this point, there was no _not _helping people. Being the conquering hero in times of baddie-related crisis was his life calling. Spyro's only hesitation was declaring war on a race that just a few hours ago, he was freezing and pushing into hockey goals for fun.

And so, after the customary whining from Sparx about how their quests got more and more ridiculous by the day, our heroes began their adventures of the Charmed Ridge.

At first, Spyro didn't see the danger of the situation. They were cats, how much trouble could they cause? But as he walked through the Charmed Ridge, Spyro began to notice a plethora of similarities. It was a warm place, covered in a gentle breeze that was likely once a superfly enchantment for the local dragonlets (since walking from place to place was IMPOSSIBLE), but with a light sensation of magic in the air. The atmosphere spoke to the Magic Crafters, even if the local fae and bright colors suggested a Dream Weaver history.

But it wasn't just the atmosphere the Ridge had borrowed from the dragons, but also the ancient ways of the Crafters magic. Spyro just didn't put the pieces together until he had to push past a giant blockade chess piece to reach a set of stairs that flattened into a slide every few seconds. It was the druids of Alpine Ridge crossed with the evil armor sets of the Haunted Towers, a magical combination Spyro could only picture in his worst recurring nightmares.

After finally clearing the treacherous stairs (and putting up to the shrieking laughter of the cat-wizards, sat on a peak high above the paths and out of Spyro's flightless reach), the Artisan came across a familiar face in the mess of green-garbed fairies that called the Ridge home. "Hey, Zoe! You gonna put on a French accent and whine about this Prince Azrael guy, too?"

"Sorry, Spyro, I'm as lost as you are," Zoe laughed. "We haven't had contact with the Forgotten Worlds in a thousand years, either. The fairies split into two camps and half of them left with the dragons. You can tell what team my ancestors were on."

"Yeah, those stories about the dragons living here? I buy them now," Spyro groaned, taking a moment to stretch his back paws, which twisted a bit in his scurry up the stairs. "I just don't get where everyone can pick up all this dragon magic: first it was Gnasty and those druids, and now it's the Sorceress and these cat-wizards."

"Dragons aren't the only ones who can use magic, Spyro. They just have to be around for it to work right. Anyone with a little know-how and the right dragon tomes can pick it up, really." She nervously looked over to a nearby pond, where a cat-wizard had constructed an enormous pillar and was using it to tear up a mountainside. "I've been talking with Liz and Eileen. I guess the reason the cat-wizards are here is because Felinia's magic finally dried up not too long before the Year of the Dragon, so they need the fairies and Charmed Ridge to keep practicing."

"Well, they're not making a great first impression by kidnapping the princess." Spyro yelped as the taunting cat-wizards shot a fireball straight into his hide - not enough to hurt, just to rub in that they were out of his reach. "Or being really annoying instead of coming down and fighting!"

"You know, Spyro, they're not the only trace of dragon magic in Charmed Ridge," Zoe teased.

"Do tell."

"There's a superflame power-up just around the corner. Think that would help you clear those guys out?"

Spyro bowed. "Lead the way, milady."

oo00oo00oo

Yes, the Charmed Ridge was a world of magic and wonder, with their giant golden geese and instagrow mushrooms making things wild enough without the addition of the all-powerful cat-wizards and their fairy princess-napping prince. Clearly, this was a land of the ancient Dream Weavers, where strictness and order could never exist.

Which is why it was such a surprise to run across Sergeant Byrd as they searched the Ridge for the missing princess. "Atten-hut, soldier!" Spyro called out, greeting the soldier-penguin with a playful jab.

Byrd gave a nervous squawk, but regained composure and faced Spyro with a solid salute. "Salutations, Spyro! I, er...wasn't expecting to run across you here. I-I mean, I was, just, er...n-not so soon, or-"

"You're stuttering," Spyro noted with a laugh. "Should I be worried?"

"Absolutely not, I have everything under control," Byrd harshly assured. "How goes the search for the dragon eggs?"

"Sidetracked by a missing princess and a bunch of angry cat-wizards. What are you doing here?"

"Can't a penguin have business to take care of in the Ridge?" Byrd accused. "I'll have you know that most of my hummingbird soldiers originate from here; I happen to have a lot of personal ties to the area. Since we were in the Lake, I didn't see any issue in stopping by to say hello to a friend."

"A friend?" Spyro asked, raising an eyebrow.

Byrd's flustered face returned as he had to right his posture. "Yes, an old, dear friend; nothing more."

"Is it a _girl_ friend?"

"She's female, if that's what you're getting at."

Still, Sparx took the opportunity to 'oooh' playfully. "Really, Byrd?" Spyro laughed. "Ditching the mission to go out with a girl? Never pinned you as the goof-off type."

"First off, dragon, I assure you this, er...relationship is completely platonic, of course!" Steering the topic away from his "friend" before it complicated, he then pointed out, "Besides, I do believe last we encountered, you and Hunter were exploring the Enchanted Towers skate park. If you're entitled to a bit of free time, then so am I."

"Have you seen Hunter? I've been looking for him all day."

"Negative." Byrd ended abruptly with a salute before turning on his flippers. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have matters to attend to. Soldiers must always respond to meetings with the utmost punctuality."

"You just don't wanna keep your girlfriend waiting," Sparx laughed.

"Tell her we said hi, Byrd! Don't get too gross, okay?" Spyro added, running off to return to his quest for the missing princess.

oo00oo00oo

Byrd breathed a sigh of relief as he entered the old Charmed Temple. Getting Spyro off his back proved to be a bit more nerve-wracking than he expected. (Though as they established earlier, the dragon was still just a child. He would understand the importance of women later.)

For now, though, the sergeant had an important date to keep. Namely, a date with an old flame from his days in the hummingbird corps. (Even if the cat-wizards outside did mean he was running a bit late.) "Isabelle, darling?"

"There you are, James!" Isabelle floated down to meet the penguin, a scowl painted onto her delicate fairy face. "Vhere have you been? We were supposed to meet an hour ago!"

"My apologies, Isabelle, but you know how-"

"Ah-ah-ah! Don't you give me zat 'matters of national security' line again! You're a sergeant of ze hummingbirds, you should be more punctual than zat." She sighed, straightening her skirt. "Oh, vell. It doesn't matter anyway. Those felinian vitches took over ze temple, so I guess we'll just have to call it off."

"Call it off?" Byrd had first laid eyes on Isabelle during the hummingbirds induction ceremony; it was their first date, first kiss...and he was going to allow such a beautiful institution of the Charmed Ridge fae to be destroyed by cat-witches?

"Not a chance, Isabelle. You and your pretty little wings sit tight; I'll take care of those blasted cat-witches."

"No, James, stop, don't," Isabelle called out flatly, fussing over her nails.

It had been years since Byrd's days in the corps, so quite some time since Isabelle was actually impressed by the penguin's military might. He had full intent of impressing her before he left the Ridge. Taking to the air, he rushed into the main chamber of the temple, where a swarm of cat-witches cackled from up above as they circled around, firing magical blasts around and shattering the temple walls.

A few well-placed rockets later, and the witches were no more. "How'd you like them apples, Isabelle?" Byrd called down to his awaiting fairy.

"I's a good thing your accuracy is better than your punctuality!"

Byrd rolled his eyes. _Women._

A sharp cackle rang out from the back halls, and the sergeant had to dive-bomb the exits as another hail of witches started to pour out, unloading shot after shot into the abyss to hold back their swarm. The laughter quieted after a bit, leading the soldier to believe he had gotten them all-

"JAMES! Look out!"

With a squawk, Byrd looked up. More cat-witches had appeared, shattering the gorgeous rosette windows to break in, holding huge vats of ooze. It was a deadly substance, left over from the draconic ages. It was an electric blue, but it burned like acid; once you sank into it, there was zero hope of crawling out alive.

Reacting as quickly as he could, Byrd fired off at the witches, knocking them off of their brooms and forcing them to drop their evil ooze, taking a blast of magic to the wing when he slid a bit too close to one and having to flap extra-hard to avoid spilling into any of the ooze-puddles that were already dropped. With the witches dismissed, the penguin rushed in, catching the vats as smoothly as his flippers would allow and tossing them back outside. The witches caused enough damage between blasting the walls to death and shattering the elaborate stained glass; he had to do what he could to save the rest of their beloved temple.

With the witch-threat cleared out, Byrd and his burning wing carefully lowered down into a relatively-undamaged area of the old temple, still standing after the onslaught, if only barely. "James!" Her annoyance turned to concern, Isabelle rushed out from her hiding place in the corridors to tend to her penguin. "That last attack looked like it hurt. Are you okay?"

"Nothing a tough soldier like me can't handle," Byrd smiled playfully.

Isabelle smiled back, kneeling to his level before giving him a kiss. "My goodness, James, I haven't seen sharpshooting like that from you since you started ze Hummingbird Rezistance Movement. I knew those new rocket-launchers of yours weren't jus' for show."

"All part of the job, my dear Isabelle. I'm just sorry I couldn't save more of the temple."

Isabelle scoffed with a flick of her hand. "Ze temple can be repaired. You are forgetting ze most important part, James."

"Am I now?"

"Ze point is, we have it all to ourzelves now. And hour late or not, you still promised me a date."

oo00oo00oo

"Alright, cat-boy! The jig is up! Time...to...huh?"

Spyro and Sparx did a double-take as they finally broke past the castle gates, where the cat-wizards were holding the princess "hostage". Rather than the epic battle to rescue the damsel that they were expecting, Princess Ami and Prince Azrael were loading up a motorcycle, exchanging delicate kisses and nuzzles as they worked.

"Uh...Princess Ami?" Spyro interrupted, catching both of their attentions. "I'm, uh...here to rescue you?"

"Oh, hello," Ami answered hushedly, tending to Spyro while Azrael finished their preparations. "You must be the dragon I've been hearing so much about. Nice to meet you! Anyway, don't worry, I won't be needing rescue anytime soon. Sorry for the confusion!"

"So...you weren't kidnapped?"

The princess gave an airy giggle. "No, no, not at all." She gave a longing look back to the cat-prince. "Unless you count the way Azrael stole my heart." (The dragon bit back the urge to gag.) "We're in love, but since Charmed Ridge and Felinia are at war over this whole magic nonsense, we're going to elope!"

She eyed about for any of the cat-wizards, and pulled out a dragon egg once she failed to find any. "You're looking for these, right? The Sorceress told the cat-wizards to guard it, but Azrael says you can have it." She handed it off with a wink. "IF you don't tell anybody where we've gone, that is."

With an excited giggle, Ami jumped on the back of Azrael's bike, just as the cat-prince revved it up. "Thanks, dragon! Tah-tah!" With a mighty roar of the magic bike's engine, the two soared off into the Charmed Ridge sunset.

They picked up a few dragon eggs and saw a young couple off to their happily ever after. Mission technically accomplished, right?

* * *

><p><em>Until FFN finally gives us this copy-protection disabler, I'm officially abandoning my sig and disclaimers for the rest of the story, but for legal reasons, know that they do still apply to these last few chapters. Y'know, if anyone cares to know I'm not trying to steal Spyro with my fanfiction. XD<br>_

_Speaking of chapters, we're back to normal length again! I decided to just give Charmed Ridge its own chapter rather than try to shoehorn in a bunch of other stuff and make this chapter stupid-longer than it needs to be. Besides, who doesn't love this level if you ignore that god-awful part with the chess piece and that stupid mini-game for the golden goose? :D;  
><em>

_So tune in next week, when all the other stuff happens! Hope you enjoyed, guys, thanks for reading!_


	44. Supernatural

**CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR: Supernatural  
><strong>

Hunter groaned, desperately trying to stretch his legs for the hundredth time. After hearing that Spyro was back from the Fireworks Factory with Greta and some sweet rocket plans, he rushed over to see if he could help assemble it. One fake apple by the lakeside later, here he was: trapped in a cage underground who-knows-where. The cold metal made the cage particularly uncomfortable, and it was just big enough to hold the lengthy cheetah standing up, not leaving much room to sit or lay down, much less stretch his legs.

Worst of all, he was hungry. The stupid apple was plastic.

His ears perked when a noise came from down the hall outside, so he jumped up, claws at the ready to...do something to whoever came to check on him. He'd figure that part out when he got there.

He half-expected it to be the Sorceress, or at least one of the rhynoc goons he saw pass by outside. Instead, it was a rabbit, her hood down and robe thrown back to reveal her golden fur and shapely figure for the very first time. Up until now, Hunter had only seen shadows of her (albeit still very pretty) face from under the hood, so it took a moment for the recognition to set in. "...Bianca?"

"Yeah, hi," she dismissed quickly, trying to avoid Hunter's eyes as she brushed away her bangs and flattened her ears. Approaching the cage, she pulled out an apple. "I, uhm...I thought you might be hungry, so I, uh..." Not wanting to finish her sentence, she offered the fruit to her mentor's prisoner.

Hunter hesitated, just to be sure Bianca wasn't attempting to pull something, but when she did and said nothing else, he reached through the bars and took it, poking it with his claws and polishing it to assure it was a real apple and not another cheap fake. "Thanks." He smiled with a laugh. "You bring any chips?"

Bianca wasn't in the mood to be laughing. "Look, I'm sorry this happened," she sighed. (Especially since the trap was meant for Spyro.) "I...did try to warn you guys about the traps."

"Yeah, I know," Hunter conceded. "But what were we supposed to do? We have to rescue the eggs!"

"No, you don't!" Bianca finally snapped, turning away in case her exhaustion got the better of her and let a tear slip past. "You don't understand! Neither of you do! We have to do SOMETHING. If we don't bring the dragons back, all of our magic is going to dry up forever!"

Hunter raised an eyebrow, not nearly so versed in the ways of dragon lore. (He always left that kind of stuff to Elora and the Professor.) "Wait. Dragons used to live here? Really?"

Bianca nodded. "They did. This was their original home, thousands of years ago when our worlds still had magic and harmony." She gulped; to this day, the story of the dragon's demise unsettled her stomach. "But one day, a thousand years ago, the Sorceress revolted against the dragon's power, and she banished them all to the other side of the world, to the Dragon Realms your friend's from. But when the dragons left, so did the source of all of our magic; it's been drying up slowly, and now it's just at the point where we can't sit and watch it happen anymore."

"...The Sorceress is really that old?"

Finally, Bianca cracked a smile. "Yes, but don't tell her I told you that."

"You know, the dragons are actually pretty cool," Hunter pointed out. "I'm sure if you told them your story, they'd work something out. I could even put in a good word for you." He gently pointed to the lock. "If you let me go, that is."

The apprentice took a heavy breath. She didn't want to strip the eggs from their homes and families any more than they did; was it worth a shot to ask the dragons to return after a thousand-year banishment? Or was it just a trick so that they could snatch the remaining eggs and high-tail it home? Hunter didn't seem to be the smart one in the group, not by a long-shot, but she still couldn't take your chances.

"I like you a lot more than your dragon-friend," she said, reaching for her hood, "but I still don't trust you. I'm sorry, I can't let you go."

Hunter sighed as he watched her run out, likely to cause more trouble for Spyro as he hunted down the last of the eggs. It was worth a shot. "Hey, Bianca?"

"What?"

"At least don't wear that dumb robe so much. You look really cute under that hood."

oo00oo00oo

"Be careful 'round dese parts, lil' dragon! Dere be more ghosts in dis here shipyard den I kin shake me pick at!"

Spyro and Sparx looked at each other after Crazy Ed's...interesting introduction to the Lost Fleet. "Is it just me, or are we back in Misty Bog?" the dragonfly asked.

"I don't know, but if I see killer tree frogs, we're leaving."

The Lost Fleet was a perfect throwback to the Beast Maker swamps, right down to the oozy-green water and the thick accents of the locals. Everything that soured Spyro about the swamps, paired with an infestation of the giant crabs that plagued Aquaria Towers. (However, they also had cannons, which made up for all of the bad parts.)

And while there weren't any killer tree frogs, there was another huge problem plaguing the Lost Fleet: ghosts. The strange creatures were everywhere, wispy white beings that circled the shipwrecks, firing acidic ghost-blasts down on Spyro, Crazy Ed, and anything else that dared to cross their path.

"So how do you plan on dealing with the ghosts, Spy?" Sparx buzzed as they watched a pair of the angry spirits wreak havoc on the graveyard.

"I don't," Spyro answered simply. "Let's just sneak around them, find the dragon eggs, and get-"

_BOOGA-BOOGA-BOOGA-BOOGA-BOO!_

The dragon-duo's faces paled as they ran right into one of the wiry ghosts, which cackled maniacally at the sight of their panic and fear. "Did I hear you say you were avoiding us, dragon?! This is OUR graveyard! Turn around and run home before you join us, trapped amongst the ghost fleet FOREVER!"

"Well, you heard him, let's go!" Sparx buzzed, flying off in a flash.

Spyro, however, was frozen to the ground. There was another voice over top of the cackling ghosts, one that came in low and soft as a cold iciness settled into the murky heat of the swamp.

"_Listen to their warning, dragon. The Sorceress' patience grows thin, and I fear you unprepared for the full might of her magical prowess. She is your final Goliath, dragon; no matter which of you dies in the arena, the journey becomes much, MUCH harder from here. Save yourself and return to the Artisans. You won't do much good to your friends from beyond the grave, will you?_"

"Who are you?!" Spyro finally snapped, searching to find the spirit's voice in the onset of darkness. "Why do you think you know so much about me?! What are these dark forces you keep talking about?!"

"_Foolish dragon; I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise for you, now would I? I need you out of my hair and your friends need you alive. Do us both a favor and **go home**._"

Spyro growled, digging into the sandy beach below him. "Not a chance." He reared back, and with a mighty blast of flame, dispelled the darkness once more. The voice vanished as the warm, green glow of the swamp returned, and he looked down to find the taunting "ghost" writhing in pain from his fiery attack. Its sheets were burned away, revealing no more than a rhynoc, crying in misery as it sat up and ran for its life. It didn't get far.

"Stupid ghosts," Spyro spat, swiping at the remains of its costume. "Should've known it was just a dumb prank."

"Y-Yeah, I totally knew it was fake," Sparx buzzed, staying unusually close to his partner's horns.

"Sure you did."

"...So...who were you talking to back there?"

"...I don't know. But I get the feeling I'm gonna find out sooner rather than later."

oo00oo00oo

During their first trek through the Beast Maker swamps, Spyro struggled to manipulate the bogs because of his then-rampant hydrophobia. He sank like a rock, and the mere idea of being trapped under the water, cold and unable to breathe, dying slowly as the air was drained from him...Horrifying. It paralyzed him, shut down everything but a blind flail for survival.

Now, of course, he had gotten over his fear. He had actually swam through the swamps that once gave him such nightmares. (It wasn't pleasant, but he did it.) But here it was, his oldest nemesis, staring him down once again. The water in the Lost Fleet was anything but; it was actually a plasmic acid, poisoned by the erosion of all of the ships (or, if you asked Crazy Ed, the ghosts). It gave off a noxious smell and you could feel the heat constantly steaming from it.

No sane person would ever want to go swimming around in it. Unfortunately, "sane" wasn't one of Spyro's outstanding features, especially since he noticed a trail of dragon treasure trapped at the bottom of the acid river.

"Seriously, Spyro, we don't have to bring ALL of the dragon treasure back home, right?" Sparx buzzed nervously, trying to talk his partner out of the unthinkable. "What's the harm in leaving a few gems down there? Maybe we could find Moneybags and make HIM go down for them, what do you say?"

"Sparx, you know we can't just leave gems laying around," Spyro argued, never once taking his eyes off of the treasure trapped below. "Every gem we forget is a gem the Sorceress can turn into some kind of rhynoc that'll take out the whole area once we turn our back."

"If the rhynoc can survive down there long enough to get to dry land?"

"We have to at least explore, Sparx. There's dragon treasure, what if there's something else down there? What if that's where they dropped one of the dragon eggs?"

"WE are not exploring anything. Even if you find a way to survive down there, I don't have dragon scales. You are on your own for this one, Spy."

Spyro quickly turned on his paws and ran. "Fine! I can move faster without you anyway!"

"SPYRO, YOU GET BACK HERE BEFORE YOU DO SOMETHING STUPID!" Sparx shrieked, rushing to keep up with his dragon. But it was too late; by the time he reached the ship Spyro had ran into, the Artisan had rushed through the invulnerability power-up that the locals used to traverse their own swamp and dived straight for the river. In a panic, Sparx rushed back outside and followed the darting dragon through the river, thanking the gods that it was at least thin enough that you could see through it. From dry land, though, he was useless. He could only watch and hope Spyro knew what he was doing.

The purple dragon, on the other hand, was on a mission. The power-up worked just like the one he found in Skelos Badlands last year, coating all of his scales with a cooling chill that fought off the acidic burn of the river. Granted, he held his breath just in case; no telling if invulnerability applied to his lungs, and it wasn't a risk he wanted to take.

He scooped up as much of the dragon treasure as he could spot and kept moving. There was no telling how far the river stretched, or if there was even anything else to find, but he had to look.

At first, he didn't mind the swim, apart from the smokiness building up in his lungs. (Fire dragons didn't hold their breath well.) The surface was right above him, so if anything went wrong, he could just jump out. After a short swim, though, he found himself at a split in the road. One side led to a quick dead-end, while the other led into a cove. The path was darkened, like a tunnel that was just begging for him to traverse it. However, the temptation came with a price - if he went, the surface would abandon him. He'd have nowhere to run.

Swallowing the urge to breathe, Spyro kicked off down the darkened tunnel, the acid rushing past his ears preventing him from hearing Sparx's panic above the water. The path twisted and turned, but he followed along. He shuddered as the light continued to drain from his path, almost hearing the dark spirit taunt his foolish choice. The heat in his chest was almost unbearable now, and his lungs were screaming for air. He saw a few scales start to peel off of his paws as the heat started to come upon him, scorching his underbelly as the invulnerability spell began to wear off. The path was almost pitch-black, his vision was hazy as the world began to spin...

_SPLASH!_ In a panic, he rushed towards the first light he saw, clamoring for the surface and pulling himself up just in time. The acid had sunken into his tail, leaving the purple scales around its tip burned off and rubbed raw, but apart from that, he was okay. He spluttered and spat on the step, shaking off as much of the plasmic acid as he could before it caused any more damage to his tired, battered scales. With a few hungry breaths and a few hearty flames, the ache in his chest passed and he could breathe softly yet again.

Tiredly dropping over, he winced after landing on what he thought was a rock. Looking down, it was far too beautiful to be a rock, its speckled white shell glistening in the moonlight that shone down from below, lighting up the exit and saving Spyro's life.

It was their hundredth dragon-egg.

oo00oo00oo

According to the locals of Evening Lake, the Lost Fleet wasn't just a breeding ground for evil crabs and toxic swamp and spooky ghost stories. It also made the perfect jolted terrain for skateboarding, and those same stories said that a group of rhynocs had taken over their personal racetrack. Hunter and Spyro, always eager for a race, agreed to meet behind the Fleet to strap on their gear and reclaim the track.

Unfortunately, they STILL hadn't heard from the elusive cheetah.

"Seriously, where is he?!" Spyro asked, pacing to ignore the skaters as they rubbed in their 'victory by default.' "It's not like him to pass up a challenge."

"Uh, Spy? You might wanna take a look at this."

Following his dragonfly, Spyro ducked around one of the pseudo-ramps the locals had built out of half-wrecked boats. Hiding behind it was Hunter's skateboard...and a scrawly note.

_Looking for your friend? Turns out he's a lot less crafty than you are. Aw, is poor widdle dragon gonna cwy? Don't worry, my dearest Spyro - YOU'LL BE JOINING HIM SOON!  
>- Best regards, The Sorceress<em>

Spyro growled, gritting his teeth to keep from sending Hunter's board and the note taped to it into a fiery inferno. It was bad enough that the Sorceress caused so many problems for the locals of her own Forgotten Realm. She crossed an unfathomable line when she sent her goons to dragon-nap 150 unborn babies and hide them everywhere like some cheap game of hide-and-seek.

There were no words for this. She had kidnapped his best friend, his second sidekick, his racing partner. Gods knew where he was, or what she was doing to him. What if she was using him to steal back the eggs they had already found? Or bewitching him as just another obstacle to throw in his way? He shuddered to think of the chance of facing Hunter in an arena, or worse, not moving fast enough to save him from a deadly trap. But the Sorceress clearly had no limits; why WOULDN'T she go that far?

Without another word, Spyro abandoned the Fleet and rushed back to the Evening Lake as fast as his four legs would carry him.

oo00oo00oo

"Greta! How soon until we have that rocket ready to go?!"

"It'll be done any minute now. Why?"

"The Sorceress has Hunter; the sooner we get to Midnight Mountain and take her out, the better."

* * *

><p><em>Only took ya three chapters to figure that one out, Spyro. XD THIS IS WHY YOU ALWAYS DO LOST FLEET FIRST. Also, how convenient that the Lost Fleet chapter happened to fall on Halloween weekend. Ooooh, 2spooky.<br>_

_With that out of the way, everybody get hyped, 'cause Midnight Mountain is on the horizon! :D Make sure you tune in next week for all of the excitement; thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!_


	45. A Monster to End All Monsters

**CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE: A Monster to End All Monsters**

"THAT'S IT! I've had enough!"

The Sorceress had finally reached her breaking point. ONE-HUNDRED of the dragon eggs were missing; TWO-THIRDS of their initial haul, stolen back to their homes by the infernal purple dragon, who at this very moment was rocketing towards Midnight Mountain to finish the job. And with HER rocket plans, no less! Bianca and the other guards stood back quietly, trying to stay well out of the range of her brandished staff, or any angry sparks of magic that might've spilled from it.

"That dragon has finally added the straw to break the Sorceress' back!" she continued to curse. "I'm going to make a new monster! A monster to end ALL monsters! It's going to destroy that pesky purple menace, and all of the other dragons while we're at it! Every last one, right down to those bloody hatchlings!" She cackled, hungry for vengeance. "Yes! Smash them and crush them and grind them and tear them! Smear them, smoosh them, crack them, crease them!"

Bianca swallowed heavily before approaching her mentor. "B-But, uhm...won't that...you know, kill them?"

"It doesn't MATTER, you stupid girl!" the Sorceress spat. "So long as I can get their wings, I don't care WHAT happens to the rest of them!"

"WAIT, WAIT, WAIT, WAIT," Bianca interrupted with a panicked wave of her arms. "All of this time, and you've only been after their WINGS?!"

She stepped back as the Sorceress swang her staff right into her face. It was the first time Bianca ever cared to get close enough for a good look at it. Its centerpiece pulsed with her trademark fuchsia magic, waves of dark energy that would discourage anyone from even looking at it the wrong way. She never noticed that the sparkling centerpiece was actually a dragon egg.

"Of COURSE, you ignorant girl!" she snapped. "I told you, Bianca, the magic from the Forgotten Worlds is fading fast, and so am I. With enough dragon wings, I can conjure a spell. One that will let me live forever!"

Bianca stumbled, having to hold her head as she suddenly felt faint. "Wait, what? A spell?!"

"What did you THINK I was going to do with all of those dragons? Open a zoo?!" (One guard in the back dared to laugh, but silenced quickly as both of the witches turned their dirty glares upon him.)

"Your Majesty, I don't understand!" Bianca cried. "Y-You said all we had to do was keep them here! That having them in our world would bring the magic back! You never said you had to KILL them!"

"I don't _have _to kill them," the Sorceress countered. "It just keeps them from wriggling around so much."

"You know what? This is where I draw the line, Your Majesty!" Bianca finally snapped, stamping her foot and tossing back her hood. "You're terrible! I can't believe I EVER made the mistake of listening to you!"

"You don't have a choice in the matter, Bianca!" the Sorceress pointed out. "I'm the only one who can teach you magic! Or do you want to go back to wizard 101 in the Crystal Islands?"

"If this is what it takes to learn magic, I will! I never wanted to hurt the dragons, and I'm not going to start now!"

"What are you going to do? Where are you going to go?!"

"I'm going to go warn Spyro!" the young apprentice snapped, just before running out of the throne room. "He'll stop you! I know he will!"

"Bianca, you come back here!" the Sorceress growled. "If you leave, I'll have you destroyed right along with them!"

She winced as Bianca slammed the door on her way out. "Stupid, insolent brat. Oh, well, she's made her choice. I'll deal with her later. First, I need to stop that pesky dragon."

She motioned towards her guards. One quickly slipped behind the other, using his Villa shield to push his partner out front. The rhynoc screamed and flailed, looking for an escape. The last two rhynocs who were gemcrafted into monsters to stop the dragon were never seen again, and he wasn't looking forward to becoming the third on that list.

Unfortunately, he didn't have a choice.

oo00oo00oo

Spyro's patience was running as thin as the Sorceress'. The rocket had suffered some last-minute difficulties, delaying their trip to Midnight Mountain even further. Every minute he spent pacing around was another minute he wasn't finding dragon eggs or searching for Hunter.

So when an egg thief appeared in the shadows, offering to show him a ground path to the Mountain, Spyro simply couldn't say no.

"Why do you guys have this path set up, anyway?" Spyro asked, trying to watch his step as he followed the robed bandit through a chilly mountain pass.

"The Sorceress is one of our biggest buyers of dragon eggs," the thief replied. "She's got one of the biggest collections of draconic artifacts on this side of the world. There are paths from everywhere that tunnel right into her base."

"She's taken dragon eggs before?"

"Since before the dragons were banished in the first place. They say the egg that sits in her scepter is over a thousand years old."

Spyro bit back a growl. Not only was she an egg-napper, but a repeat offender. His temper flared at the thought, a weeping couple left alone at the end of the Dragon Festival, lost without their egg because some Sorceress on the other side of the world had it petrified and glued into her staff like a power crystal. Sickening.

"I have to say, dragon, you're pretty brave," the egg thief complimented. "There aren't many who would butt horns with the Sorceress. And the few who have didn't last quite as long as you."

"I'm just doing what I have to. ...Why are you helping me, anyway?"

The egg thief spun around, his twisted grin shining from under his robes. "I'm not."

The cloaked speedster tripped a hidden switch in the pass, causing the floor to shudder and collapse beneath them. He managed to dart off before it was too late, but Spyro couldn't find footing fast enough to follow. Dragon and dragonfly plummeted to the mountainous bases, with Sparx throwing an "I told you so" fit the entire way down.

They crashed onto a platform, another of Midnight Mountain's natural arenas. They were greeted with a loud screech as another of the Sorceress' creatures flew down to greet them. He was a titanic beast, even bigger than the previous two, if it were possible. His slobbering fangs dripped down from up above as his mighty wings kept him suspended in the air, far out of Spyro's reach.

It gave a shriek, unleashing a mighty barrage of fire blasts with a thunderous pound of its wings. Spyro got to his feet as quick as he could, then watched the ground carefully to avoid the shadows of the fiery impacts. "Man, looks like the Sorceress really turned up the heat," he sneered.

"Spyro, this is not the time for you and your puns!" Sparx buzzed harshly, still in a tizzy about how Spyro completely ignored his ten-minute rant about not wandering into traps with egg thieves and falling for it anyway.

"That one wasn't really a _pun_," Spyro argued, searching the arena for something to give him an edge over the airborne atrocity. "More of a bad joke. Could've been a lot _pun_nier, you know?"

Groanworthy jokes aside, the Artisan did notice quite a problem. The rest of the mountains were too far and blocked off by a ring of Felinian ooze, meaning escape wasn't likely. And as usual, his wings were failing him once again - he'd have to find something he could shoot up, or find a way to make Scorch come down.

"Hey, hot-shot, you missed!" Spyro taunted, waving his tail around in hopes of enticing a ground attack. "Come on, you can do better! Show me what you've got!"

Scorch gave a cackling call, then reared back and spit a trio of eggs into the arena. The eggs shook and cracked, then split into a trio of hungry crabs, all three of which chased the dragon down. Spyro easily butted two of them aside, but winced with a yelp as the third one caught his tail, right where it was still kinked slightly from the first time it was clawed up in Aquaria Towers.

Spyro shook off the attack and scanned the field again. Clearly, Scorch wasn't coming down, so he needed to find a way to get the attacks up to him before the arena was overrun by crabs and fireballs. But on the second pass, he still couldn't find a thing. The mountains would surely provide something he could use, but they were all so far away. If only he had somebody up above to cause a rock-slide and fire down something he could use as a projectile.

"Spyro, look out below!"

The dragon jumped back as a sudden storm of rocks fell from the mountains above, raining down a pile of debris, including a small pile of glowing red magma rocks."Well, that sure was convenient." He rushed towards the pile and chewed up one of the magma rocks, taking a few quick breaths to stoke his flame. He reared back his head and fired, the pieces of magma rock shooting out of his mouth like a blaze of machine-gun fire. The charged projectile battered into Scorch's chest, knocking the creature back...though to Spyro's chagrin, not knocking him out of the sky.

He rushed back to the pile to dig for another magma rock, which blinded him to the quartet of eggs Scorch dropped behind him. It wasn't until their shells shattered and he heard the piercing laughter of the TNT rats from Icy Peak did he turn around, but by then, the creatures were rushing towards him, lit boxes of explosives in their grimy hands. With nowhere to run and not enough time to escape, he simply braced himself for the oncoming firestorm.

Which was prevented via a lucky shot from Bentley, who stormed down from the mountains just in time to smash the lead TNT rat in the head with a stalagmite he grabbed on his way. The lead rat went up in a shattering kaboom, causing the rest of his gang to quickly follow suit. "Be more vigilant, Spyro! You can't afford to let your guard down like that!"

"Thanks for the save, Bentley," Spyro panted, returning to his search for a magma rock, but this time keeping a better eye on Scorch, who was circling the arena and waiting for his chance to strike. "Where'd you come from?"

"I came out to join you on your expedition to the Midnight Mountain, but Greta informed me that you had departed early and without notice." He grabbed a hefty piece of rock, larger than Spyro himself, and smacked it towards the beast with his club like it were a mere baseball. "I presumed you left for the Mountain early and took a shortcut pass to search for you."

"Lucky you found me. The Sorceress likes trying to jump me between the worlds."

"I blame her not. With you in such close proximity to her lair, I surmise she'll be planning to destroy every iota of her opposition, starting right here and right now with us."

Spyro, mouth full of a new charge of magma rock, plowed through another sea of crabs before firing another line of fire straight into Scorch's chest. "Then we'll just have to do something about that, won't we?"

Both heroes scrambled to duck as another rain of fireballs fell from the sky. "I endeavor to deliver no effort less than my best, Spyro!" Bentley charged forward to dismiss another of the eggs, this one oddly alone. However, a green blob of a creature greeted him when the shell peeled back, and with a familiar growl that caught Spyro's ear, it knocked him back across the arena, nearly sending him tumbling into the ooze.

"Bentley, you dig up something we can use to ground the big guy!" Spyro shouted, charging into battle. "I can take care of this one!"

Buzz gave a throaty laugh as Spyro scratched his claws against the dirt, face to face with an old foe yet again. This time, he didn't have Sheila to assist him, but the timid lava was now a toxic ooze, which evened the score. He lowered his horns and drove forward, and their second round of dragon-sumo was on.

Bentley, on the other hand, rushed back to the rock pile, spinning his club to deflect Scorch's treacherous fire blasts. He knew that the local deposits of phosphorous triberyllium would react well to Spyro's dragon-fire, but the Sorceress seemed to know that just as well; it barely scratched the creature, much less knock it out of the sky where the flightless allies could reach it. They needed something with more punch, something even more volatile.

That's when he saw it; a vein of green throughout the phosphorous deposits. Biphosimate diryllium. "Spyro, catch!"

Spyro looked up, just after plowing Buzz back into the depths where he belonged, and managed to catch Bentley's toss in his jaws. Unlike the magma rocks, this substance was an eerie green, and it burned the inside of his mouth, heat-resistant as fire-breaths were. He struggled to keep a hold of it, not daring to chew it into pieces, but trusted Bentley's judgement as the yeti waved to him to hold his fire.

He readied a large rock of his own, then rushed over to join Spyro. "Aim carefully, Spyro, we've only got one good shot at this." Spyro nodded and the yeti counted it down: Three...Two...

"ONE, FIRE!" Bentley struck first, cracking the heavy projectile with his club and clocking Scorch in the head, dizzying the creature and causing it to waver, having to fight harder to maintain its altitude.

Shortly after, Spyro reared back and fired. The green projectile flew farther and faster than the magma rock debris, whistling as it soared through the sky. It struck Scorch straight in the chest, just as the beast came up from Bentley's prior blow. Unable to maintain his flaps under such an assault, Scorch fell, if only for a moment.

One moment just long enough to spiral into the ooze, screeching and squirming to a slow, melted death alongside its once-fallen companion, Buzz.

oo00oo00oo

Trapped in a cage, unaware of the rest of the story, Hunter found himself with a discomforting lack of things to do. He was a cheetah, meant to run around in the open, to see and experience the world. Sitting in a small metal box was the furthest from his idea of a good time.

So the wildcat jumped to the door when he heard Bianca run in to see him. "Hey, Bianca! Say, you bring any food with ya? I'm starving."

Bianca rolled her eyes. "There's no time for that, Hunter! We have to stop the Sorceress! She's going to kill Spyro and the rest of the dragon hatchlings!"

Hunter raised an eyebrow. The Sorceress' right-hand, suddenly on their side? It didn't add up. "And why should I trust you? How do I know this isn't another trap?"

The apprentice was stunned by Hunter's baffling thought process. "You're already in a cage, you furry numbskull! How can I trap you by letting you out?!"

"...I don't know. You sorceress-types can be sneaky like that."

Bianca groaned, waving her hand to enchant the tumblers of the lock and swing the door open. "Alright, I'm sorry. I never wanted to hurt the dragons, but the Sorceress had her own plans. Now I'm going to stop her, and I need you and Spyro's help. Come on, we don't have a lot of time, let's go!"

Before Hunter could argue, she grabbed him by the paw and dragged him out, up to the Midnight Mountains above them. She just hoped Spyro would survive to meet them there.

* * *

><p><em>One level left to go, guys! (Probably not exciting, considering the Spyro games' penchant for getting lazy in the last world and not giving me much to work with.) Make sure to tune in next week for another abnormally-long chapter, brought to you by awkward pacing! :D Hope you guys enjoyed; thanks for reading!<br>_


	46. Midnight Madness

**CHAPTER FORTY-SIX: Midnight Madness**

Spyro took a deep breath of the chilled Mountain air once their rocket finally landed. Not only had Bentley saved his life during their battle with Scorch, but he also brought a radio to signal the rocket to pick them up; even if he did manage to win the fight on his own, there was no way he could've escaped the arena and found his way back to the Mountains.

The Midnight Mountains glistened, as if constantly lit up in the darkness by the moon and its own ethereal glow. Spyro found himself pausing as he walked the marble roads, watching the lush enchanted waterfalls cascading into the dark void below. The Mountains screamed Magic Crafters, to the point where Spyro was almost expecting to turn a corner and be plowed in the face by a druid moving some earth.

It would explain why the Sorceress and Bianca were holed up here. More so than any of the other Forgotten Worlds, the Midnight Mountain felt...well, like home. Spyro could sense the magic still flowing freely through this land, like it was the last place on this side of the world that hadn't felt the repercussions of the dragon exodus, even after a thousand years.

It also explained why he wasn't surprised to see a familiar trail of rainbows shoot down from the mountaintops to greet him (though it did take him a second to process her sudden wardrobe change). "Look, Spyro, before you say anything, I-"

"Save it, Bianca!" Spyro snarled, charging the apprentice just hard enough to knock her backwards without goring her right then and there, pinning her down under the might of his paws. "You're gonna tell me what you did with Hunter RIGHT NOW, and then you're gonna stop messing with me and the dragon eggs before I bring you back to your precious Sorceress char-broiled on a stick, got it?!"

"Hunter's out on the speedways looking for dragon eggs!" Bianca squealed, hands in front of her face to hide her from Spyro's fire-breathing wrath. "I told him to come with me, but he insisted on finding as many of the eggs as fast as possible!"

"Likely story. If he were looking for dragon eggs, why was he with you?"

"The Sorceress kidnapped him back in Evening Lake; I let him go." She gave the dragon staring her down a pleading look. "Look, I know you don't trust me. You have no reason to. But I want to help you take out the Sorceress. Please, just give me a chance to talk to you, and if you still don't believe me after, then do your worst, okay?"

She cringed, struggling to keep eye-contact with her draconic nemesis. She had been studying dragons since she was old enough to read. Fire-breath dragons were by far the deadliest breed, and if her observations were correct, Spyro's Peacekeeper nature would only make things worse for her. Even as a half-grown, he would have no problem delivering on his promise to make a rabbit kebob out of her. He didn't quite stand as tall as she did, but even at his size, he was an intimidating creature. (The way his wings were unfurled helped the frightening silhouette, even if she already noted that he couldn't fly.) Just his heated breath on her fur was enough to burn, the claws itching to dig into her could've ripped her to pieces in seconds, and that steely glare in his eyes hurt all the worse.

So she was pleasantly surprised when Spyro stepped back, folding his wings and letting her stand. "One shot. Start talking."

oo00oo00oo

"You have no idea how much I love dragons, Spyro. Never in a million years did I want to hurt you or the hatchlings or anybody. My grandmother used to tell me the legends of days before the dragon exodus, when your people still lived here, on this side of the world. The dragons lived throughout the four worlds, maintaining peace and harmony between the different groups of locals. The Artisans were our teachers, the Peacekeepers our soldiers, the Beast Makers our farmers, the Magic Crafters our sorcerers, and the Dream Weavers our jesters.

"My family comes from a long line of witches and wizards, back in the days when we learned straight from the Magic Crafters themselves. The Sorceress was, and still is, queen of the Midnight Mountain because even though she wasn't directly draconic blood, she was still more powerful than even some of the Crafters.

"When the dragons tried to revoke her crown, she banished them so that no one would ever rival her magical prowess again. Every tome, every spell, anything draconic that was left behind, she hid in her castle or had it destroyed. She's the only person left that knows anything about draconic magic. That's why I had to become her apprentice. My grandmother died when I was young, before she could start teaching me herself. I had to carry on my family heritage and train myself in Crafters magic. I didn't just want to let all of the great lessons they taught die off with the legends.

"The Forgotten Realms are dying, Spyro. I'm sure you've noticed by now. The Sorceress told me that the magic was fading because the dragons are the ones that fuel its presence. Without the dragons, the magic runs dry. If the magic runs dry, who knows what kind of repercussions it would have? Portals stop working, power-up towers fail, all of the locals that depend on magic would suffer...I didn't want the legends to die. I wanted to join her plan because I wanted to bring the Forgotten Worlds back to the old days, when dragons maintained peace and the world was full of wonder and magic, just like the stories I heard from my grandmother."

Bianca groaned as she finished her story, hanging her head. "I was so stupid to fall for her tricks. It turns out that she didn't want to bring back the dragons at all; just to slaughter the hatchlings and turn their wings into a stupid spell. That's why I left, that's why I let Hunter go and came out here to help you." She gave Spyro a shy look when she finished her tale. "Do you forgive me?"

"Forgive's a pretty strong word," Spyro answered harshly. Bianca winced, preparing herself for the oncoming bunny-kebob he threatened earlier. "But I've never been one to say no to a new partner."

"...You really mean that?"

"I'm still REALLY mad about the mass dragon-napping, don't get me wrong. But...well, I can't really be mad now that I heard your story. You were just trying to save your home. If anyone should have respect for someone doing stupid things to save their home, it would be me." His frown finally cracked into a smart smirk. "Besides, I can't knock anyone who knows their dragon-lore better than I do."

He stopped and turned to face her. "So here's your shot, Witch School. Where's the Sorceress hiding?"

"Her castle's up at the top of Midnight Mountain," Bianca explained. "But obviously, walking in the front door isn't gonna get you far. There's a secret portal around here that'll sneak us in the back way, but it's usually locked up pretty tight. It'll take me some time to break through the spell."

"What a time to not have talismans."

"Excuse me?"

Spyro shook his head with a laugh. "Nothing. So you're saying that Hunter and I need to bust tail on finding more dragon eggs to give you a magic boost to break through the door, right?" Bianca bit her lip, not wanting to bring the dragon eggs into the conversation, but the look on her face said it all. "Got it. Come on, Sparx, let's-"

Finally realizing that the recent shock of silence came from a lack of dragonfly buzzing in his ear, the purple dragon had a momentary panic attack, eyes darting high and low for a flicker of gold. "Sparx? Sparx?!"

Nothing. Spyro had lost his dragonfly.

oo00oo00oo

"So let me get this straight: the Sorceress ORDERED to have this factory made, JUST so she could hide an egg in here, make us come after it, and use this crazy place to destroy us?"

"Yep."

"And you thought it was a good idea to dragonfly-nap me and run in here?"

Zoe gave a sheepish smile. "It's nothing you can't handle, right?"

Sparx groaned. If he never had to follow Zoe into another crack in the wall to hunt down a hidden dragon egg, it would be too soon. The dragon eggs weren't going to rescue themselves, though, so there they were, quietly fluttering through the darkened factory, moving quick as they could to return to the Mountain before Spyro and Bianca noticed they were gone. "Besides, we got lucky," the fairy pointed out. "The factory's not active yet. If we can get the egg before she flips the switch, then we don't have to come back. I wouldn't have dragonfly-napped you if it weren't totally urgent."

The new partners in crime turned a corner, and froze to shield their adjusted eyes as they came across a bright light in the otherwise-dark factory. One of the gates had gone active, putting an electric force-field over their path forward. (And Sparx had more than his fair share of jolts alongside Spyro; plenty to know that touching force fields was a bad idea.) "Totally not active, right?"

"Hey, at least it's not producing bugs yet." Zoe fluttered closer to the field, searching the barrier for a way to shut it down. "These fields are just like the ones the electrolls use in Hurricos. There's got to be some kind of key or diode around here somewhere; if we find it, we can shut this down and keep looking for the egg."

Blah-blah, something about Hurricos and a shiny object. Hard as he tried to listen, Sparx was distracted by something in the room. It was a funny new feeling that he still had a hard time putting words to. A twitch in the wings, a shudder in his tail, the indescribable urge to point...the same feeling that overcame him in the Evening Lake, or any other time he heard Spyro complain that they were missing something.

"Hey, Zoe? What do you know about dragon egg magic?"

Zoe looked up, confused slightly at the random question. "Enough, I think. I did stick around in the Realms for a few Dragon Festivals before I moved to Avalar. Why?"

Sparx approached her, fighting to ignore his new senses going berserk. "I just...Something happened in the spider cave back at the Midday Gardens. I feel...different, and I can't put my wing on it. It...It's kind of like my dragon sense, but instead of going off whenever Spyro's in trouble, it just...goes off. It went off in Evening Lake, and that's how we found Moneybags hiding Bentley, and it went off in Lost Fleet when Spyro said we were missing something and I found a bunch of dragon gems hiding in their river."

The dragonfly twitched, hearing the rattle of a gem in the room's dark corner, his newfound sense continuing to go berserk. It finally got to the point where Sparx couldn't focus on his query. "Augh, hold on a second!" Before Zoe could ask, he broke into a mad dash, rushing into the surrounding darkness.

A mechanical squeak rattled the room, and a dark blue beetle emerged from the shadows, just in time to escape the dragonfly rushing at him. Sparx pursued it around the room, though; no robot bug could ever outrace the dragonfly of the Artisans' fastest dragon. He smashed the robotic creation into a wall, crumbling its scrap remains into a shiny gem and a tiny key, just the size to fit in the force-field's diode lock.

"You see?" Sparx continued, breathing easy as his new alarm system began to quiet. "I think I can sense dragon treasure now, but I haven't been able to do it before. It just started in Evening Lake. I mean, I'm a fire-breath's dragonfly, I don't come with magic powers. You know what might be causing it?"

"Dragon eggs are weird, Sparx," Zoe answered, taking the key and unlocking the gate. "Until they hatch into dragons, they're just constant streams of magical energy. That's why they sell so highly on the black market; they give sorcerers an energy source they can feed off of, and as long as the egg's unhatched, they can use it forever. So...maybe just being exposed to all of the magic is just starting to rub off on you. You've been in pretty close contact with them lately, and you aren't built to resist magic the way the rest of us are.

"Besides, we don't know..." Zoe stopped and bit her lip before she continued, not wanting to offend with her idea.

Sparx still managed to complete her thought; perhaps this incident with the eggs had also sharpened his dragonfly intuition. "I really don't think Spyro's a Magic Crafter," he pointed out. It would certainly explain things, as Crafter dragonflies were known for being more alert and sensitive than their counterparts, but even after all of the years that had passed since their fight with Gnasty, when Delbin revealed Spyro's orphaned past, Sparx still couldn't picture his dragon-brother as anything else than the Artisan-raised-Peacekeeper he grew up with.

"I don't either, but it's still possible." She dismissed the topic with a wave of her hand. "Point is, I don't think it's going to kill you. If anything, once you get used to it, it sounds like a pretty handy trick to have!"

"If it's okay with you, I'd rather just go back to the days when the dragon treasure was locked up and Spyro and I didn't have to risk our necks to find it all," Sparx joked weakly.

"I bet. Speaking of risking our necks, though, we should get going. The less time we have to spend here, the-"

_CLANG! _Sparx and Zoe's search ground to a halt as the lights came on, flooding the room with blinding lights. The force-field snapped back on, entrapping them in a small arena-like room, filled with discomforting hisses and clicks.

"I thought you said the factory wasn't active."

"No, I said we needed to get in and out before she activated it."

The egg-rescuers were quickly greeted by a metallic centipede, the bright lights from above gleaming menacingly off of its slick black body. It hissed loudly, oily slime spilling from its sharp pincers, then snaked its way around before rushing towards its victims.

Zoe ducked off before the centipede beast could entrap them, searching the rest of the arena for the dragon egg, if there even was one to be found in the Sorceress's trap. Sparx unleashed a stream of flyfire, strafing backwards and hugging the edge of the arena as he dipped and dodged out of the way of the centipede's-

_BAM! _So much for that strategy. The dragonfly's plan backfired, almost literally, as the tail end of the centipede exploded after taking enough damage. Fire and shrapnel went everywhere, including into Sparx's face, blasting the dragonfly back and smashing him into a wall. "Sparx! Are you okay?!"

"Ask later, find the egg!" Sparx snapped back, recovering as quick as he could to distract the centipede with another stream of fire, this time directed towards his middle in hopes that if the explosion happened again, at least it would take out the rest of the metal monster with it.

Zoe bit her lip at Sparx's request. That was the problem; she couldn't find the dragon egg. The arena was deserted, apart from them and it. This must've been the Sorceress' plan all along; plant rumors of an egg hiding in a bugbot factory and wait for dumb ol' Zoe to drag Sparx right into her trap.

"Zoe, look out!"

A pair of explosions drowned out Sparx's warning. As predicted, the centipede imploded at its center, and Sparx successfully braced himself to block the blast. However, instead of collapsing without a central support, the front end of the centipede circled around for another pass.

The tail end writhed and groaned as sharp, jagged pincers erupted from the top-most segment, becoming a second centipede. And this one, free of its other half, charged straight for Zoe.

Failing to hear the warning, Zoe was helpless to escape. Once again, fairy's "flight, not fight" syndrome had left her paralyzed, only watching with a scream as the metal monster scurried towards her, gnashing its pincers with an ear-shattering clash of metal. Sparx rushed to her rescue, but gave a sharp buzz as the original centipede struck its target, pinning him against the wall. The immense pressure on his abdomen made breathing a nightmare, but he fought past the pain and swallowed a mouthful of air, spit-firing a stream of flyfire just in time to topple the other half into an explosion before it reached Zoe.

Woken out of her stupor by a survival instinct dodge to avoid the blast, the fairy could turn her attention to the original threat, which still had Sparx pinned to a wall, clawing into him with its massive jowls. It slobbered and hissed, choking the dragonfly down until his greenish color began to fade and his wings went limp. Fighting off her fear the best she could, Zoe flew into the fray. "Hey, pick on someone your own size!" Readying her wand, she wound up for an attack, and _ZAP!, _sent a thunderous bolt of magic right into the top-most piece of the centipede.

The metal monster dropped its prey, its form squealing as the creature writhed, curling up on itself before going up in a massive storm of fiery explosion. Zoe did her best to clear the smoke - fairies weren't the best at dealing with poor air, which is why they lived in grassy knolls and magic castles in the sky - and tried to find the center of the room.

Laying amidst the soot and debris from their battle was a pristine white dragon egg.

"Hey, Sparx, we found it!" Zoe called out, wings fluttering in excitement. "The Sorceress must've hidden it inside that thing! Oh, man, I was really worried this was going to be for nothing. Isn't that great, Sparx? ...Sparx?"

The unconscious dragonfly couldn't answer.

oo00oo00oo

"Sparx? ...Sparx? ...Come on, say something. ...Wing flutter, anything?"

The dragonfly groaned as he finally came to. His thorax and abdomen were throbbing in pain, making it difficult to catch his breath. His head felt heavy, but not as heavy as his wings, which wouldn't pick him up off the ground no matter how much he willed them to.

When his vision straightened (slightly), he opened his eyes, finding himself face-to-face with a butterfly cupped in the hands of a fairy. Desperate for anything that would make the pain go away, he forced himself to jump forward and devour it, chewing it slowly to let the soothing relief of butterfly nectar wash through him, restoring his dragonfly glow. Everything still hurt horribly, but it at least gave him the strength to lift off. "Thanks, Zo, I needed that."

"Not a problem," Zoe smiled, relieved to see that Sparx was at least conscious, even if he was a bit off-colored. "I'm just glad you're alright. I was really worried about you for a second."

"Sparx?!"

Sparx winced as his dragon-brother charged towards them. "Not so loud, Spy, my everything hurts."

Spyro stammered uncomfortably, not sure where to start on his barrage of questions. Once he was back in the air, Sparx shook his head to straighten his vision once and for all, then tried to explain. "Look, Zoe needed my help to find the dragon eggs, okay? There were a bunch of them hiding out in places you and Hunter wouldn't have been able to reach. I'm sorry, I've been sneaking off because I didn't want to worry you and I didn't think you'd find out! But then the Sorceress found out, and she put a hit out on me, too, and there was this factory and I officially hate centipedes, and-"

"None of that explains why you're red."

"Explains who's what now?" Suddenly forgetting his thrown-together apology, Sparx rushed for the nearest pool of water he could find, staring down at his reflection. All dragonflies had the natural ability to change colors; they were living health gauges for their dragons, a visible marker mothers could use to make sure their dragonlets weren't hurt or in danger. Their spectrum changed depending on the dragonfly. Sparx, a yellow by birth (and aptly named as such), phased from gold to blue to green.

Red was NOWHERE in his dragonfly spectrum. And yet, here he was, staring down at the reflection of a dark crimson dragonfly.

"Look, Sparx, finding the dragon eggs, I don't mind," Spyro finally said, approaching his discolored partner. "Good for you, way to take one for the team. Just wish you would've told me instead of disappearing on me and then I find you blacked out in a fairy cove a whole different color. There something else to this story I should know?"

"I'm just as lost as you, Spyro," Sparx buzzed. "But, uh...it may or may not be connected to why I'm so good at finding gems all of a sudden. And may or may not have something to do with, like, dragon egg magic radiation or something."

"Don't get worried over nothing, Spyro," Zoe giggled. She waved her wand, summoning another butterfly with a tiny puff of smoke. Sparx, still aching from the centipede attack, quickly devoured it, and in seconds, his color surged from the odd shade of red to a more-typical grassy green. "What, you never noticed Sparx is a four-color dragonfly?"

"I'm NOT a four-color dragonfly," Sparx pointed out. "That's the thing."

The two exchanged an odd look, confusing Spyro miserably as they quietly thought back to their earlier conversation. Most dragonflies were three-color, as Sparx was prior to the mayhem. However, like Sparx's flyfire, each of the five breeds of dragonfly had their own unique abilities to set them and their dragons apart. One breed made up for their lack of physical might with special magical resistances, giving them a variety of unique powers, including the elusive fourth color.

The four-color dragonflies weren't unheard of, but they were a Magic Crafter specialty.

"Either way, Spyro, I wouldn't worry about it," Zoe said quickly, trying to change the subject. "Look at it this way: if you keep Sparx fed, you'll never have to worry about him dipping into the red."

"Or I don't have to hear him whine so much whenever he hits green," Spyro smirked.

"Or you could keep me fed, like the lady said," Sparx buzzed, graciously retaking his favorite spot under Spyro's frill.

"Or you could stop being such a fat dragonfly."

"Or you could just feed me. Not like it's hard, the way you tear through sheep-herds like scroll paper."

Bianca sat back quietly as all this went on. She studied the dragons for years, but Spyro was an enigma. Even though the color threw her off, as purple was an oddity amongst dragons, his mighty paws and horns seemed Beast Maker-esque, and his personality screamed that of a Peacekeeper. (And the fire-breath didn't hurt the cause.) But here he was, and his dragonfly was showing all signs of Magic Crafter.

She finally interjected when the argument cooled down, unable to quell her curiosity any longer. "Spyro, if you don't mind my asking...what breed of dragon are you, anyway?"

She noticed the odd hesitation before Spyro gave his answer, answering quickly so that the newly-reunited duo could rush off and resume their adventure. "Let's say Artisan, 'kay? Come on, Sparx, we got eggs to find."

"What, did I strike a nerve?" Bianca asked once dragon and dragonfly were gone. Not only had he given the one answer she WASN'T expecting, he didn't seem quite enthused to do so.

"It's a touchy subject for Spyro," Zoe answered, knowing the story as well as the rest of his Avalari inner circle did. "He's an orphan, so nobody really knows WHAT breed he is. He grew up in the Artisans, so that's the answer he usually gives."

Then the ginger fairy realized she likely said too much. "...I should go check on Spyro and Sparx. Bye!"

Bianca stayed put, stunned as the fae's words sank in. _Spyro's an orphan. _Suddenly, the young dragon's ferocity made sense. No wonder he was so quick to protect the eggs from being stolen; he felt a kinship to their trial, having to hatch in a strange world without a doting mother dragon to care for you, never truly knowing who you were or where you came from.

She ran off to confront the magic lock that protected the Sorceress' portal. If that didn't inspire her to rescue the eggs and send them back home, nothing would.

* * *

><p><em>Sorry for the absurdly-long chapter this week, guys. I'll make it up to you with an absurdly-short chapter next week. :D Anyway, regardless of length and poor pacing, I hope you guys enjoyed! Thanks for reading; see you next week!<br>_


	47. All-Out Gun Fight

**CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN: All-Out Gun Fight**

"Moneybags."

"Nope, I don't even want to hear it, Spyro."

"Moneybags."

"Not a word, Spyro! You're not breaking my will this time!"

"Moneybags."

"The Sorceress is paying me a FORTUNE to watch this cage, Spyro! This creature is a menace, and I refuse to even CONSIDER letting him out!"

Spyro rolled his eyes as he peered into the newest of the golden cages. The creature inside seemed harmless, adorable even. It was a monkey, sitting quietly in the cage and looking out at the Mountain with its big, black eyes. It was dressed in a green space suit and even had its own toy gun to chew on. How on EARTH did anybody think something so bright-eyed and quiet be dangerous?

"Moneybags, listen to yourself," Spyro tsked. "Look at this thing. It's a monkey in a space-suit. You're really going to stand there and tell me that this little guy's DANGEROUS?" Still, the brazen bear didn't hear it. With a sigh, the dragon changed his tune, resorting to the only language Moneybags spoke fluently - cash. "Alright, what's she paying you?"

"Six-fifty, purely in dragon treasure."

"I'll double it. Thirteen-hundred gems, and you lose the cage."

Moneybags choked on air, in disbelief at what he just heard. His old rival, savior of the dragon realms, was just HANDING him thirteen-hundred gems? And for what, to release a precious monkey back into the wild? (To be fair, he was on Spyro's side for once. Unlike the boxing kangaroo, the military-grade penguin, and the rampant yeti, this creature seemed rather docile.)

Struggling to maintain his cool, Moneybags adjusted his collar as Sparx dropped a hefty bag of gems at his feet. "Ahem, I mean...Spyro, you are truly a martyr among men. Or dragons and Avalari, whichever works. Rescuing the weak and downtrodden has always been a weakness of yours, but it is a flaw to be admired." He quickly undid the locks, swinging open the cage door. "I'm sure you're right, what harm could he do?"

The released monkey was timid as he approached the door, as if making sure its opening wasn't a cruel prank and Moneybags would slam him back in for running at it. Once he realized that he was truly a free monkey, the suited ball of fur curled up with a loud, shrieking laugh, then bounced out of the cage and jumped to his feet, eagerly spinning his blaster by its trigger, still cackling madly. "Whoopie! Woo-hoo! Yahoo! Oh, MAN, I can't believe you actually fell for that! AUGH, it was a major pain in the tail to sit still for that long, but HOT DOG, was it worth it!"

He slid over to Spyro, righting his helmet and giving it a solid knock. "Hey, thanks for the save, buddy, I REALLY owe ya one! That cage was driving me BANANAS! Get it, bananas, I'm a monkey? Hey, comedy's not for everyone!" He leaned in close with another mad laugh. "Say! You ever see a bear...dance?"

This could only end well. "Actually, now that you mention, I haven't."

"WE-HE-HE-ELL, THEN!" the monkey giggled, pulling a release switch on his blaster that caused it to charge up with energy. "Today's your lucky day, my good sir! Check THIS out!"

"Wait, no, stop!" Moneybags protested. The once-captive chimp took aim and fired, blasting a series of sharp lasers at the ground by the bear's feet. Moneybags stumbled and twisted, scrambling to the air as high as his weight would allow (which wasn't much, as you'd expect), and bolted for his life as soon as he found the chance. Likely to go resign from cage-sitting forever.

Spyro was nearly in tears of laughter when the monkey returned, still spinning his blaster. "Great dancer, isn't he? Not much stamina, though. Too bad, I still have a LOT more ammo!"

"I think that was worth just about every gem," Spyro laughed. "So what's your-"

"Agent 9's the name, blastin' rhynocs is my game!" the captive jumped in. "And this is Mr. Laser Blaster, say hi, Mr. Laser Blaster! Oh, don't mind him, he's shy, needs some time to WARM UP to people, right? Ah, you wouldn't get that joke. No need to introduce yourself, Spyro, I heard the WHOLE story from that itty-bitty-teensy cage'a mine. By the way, here's a life-tip for ya, watch out for cages when you're blowing up Fireworks Factories, alright? Aim high in life, but watch out for flying boxes, am I right?"

He broke into a mad cackle, only ending his explosive stream of consciousness when he had to pause for a breath. "AN~YWAY, know all about how you've been runnin' around and fighting the Sorceress and her armies and kickin' all that butt! Huzzah, whoopie, yahoo! Way to be a soldier, dragon, I can definitely get behind someone like you - 'cause no one ever said it was a good idea to stand in FRONT of a dragon, am I right?"

Spyro opened his mouth to ask the next obvious question, but yet again, Agent 9 interrupted him. "Look, I know you probably want me to run out and help you blast some rhynocs and all, 'cause TRUST ME, I wanna join ya! But I gotta rush back to the labs first and make sure they're not TOTALLY OVERRUN with rhynocs or anything, not that any rhynoc would want to get anywhere NEAR those labs, 'cause that would make Mr. Laser Blaster VE~RY unha~ppy! But promise, as soon as that's taken care of, you and I are gonna RUN Midnight Mountain! I'll be right there with ya, buddy! I owe ya a solid, not to mention I've been meanin' to give that fat Sorceress some dancin' lessons for a while, if ya know what I mean!"

"Got it!" Spyro laughed. It was quite difficult not to smile; psychotic as it sounded, Agent 9's laughter was addictive. "But don't take too long, alright? I'm not saving any rhynocs for ya!"

"I'll be back before you can say some word that's really long and impossible to say!" Agent 9 saluted. "I'd go with honorificabilitudinitatibus, just to give me ten extra seconds, alright? Later!" With another mad cackle, the escaped monkey ran off.

"What in the realms did you just do?"

"I have no idea, but I get the feeling it's going to be awesome."

oo00oo00oo

After clearing the stray rhynocs out of his home base in the island labs (and ducking back to the Fireworks Factory with Greta for a mix of rescuing Handel and a bit of _unfinished _business that may or may not have involved a large series of bombs and a lot of ninja boxes asking to be blown up), Agent 9 quickly found himself freed up to make good on his promise to help Spyro kick glorious amounts of rhynoc butt. (Oh, and something about the dragon eggs, of course.)

He finally caught up with Spyro and Hunter deep in the Dino Mines, where Sheriff Wyatt and Deputy Roy were having a lot of trouble with the local Bailey gang. "Someone" (with access to a Fireworks Factory, no less) stocked up the local dinos with laser blasters, turrets, and crates of dynamite, letting the dino-gang run wild over the quiet mining town.

"Well, boys, looks like we gots us some dino-wranglin' ta do," Spyro sneered, adjusting his custom-made Stetson to keep the blazing Mines sun out of his eyes.

"What's with the accent?" Hunter asked. "And where'd you get that hat?"

Flustered, Spyro threw his hat to the ground. "Come on, Hunter, can't you play along? I was trying to make a scene."

Decked out in his own flashy cowboy hat, Agent 9 slid onto the scene, making sure to keep his gun up and aimed, ready to strike at a moment's notice. "Howdy, partners! Sorry I'm a little late, Handel got into a bit of a _hot mess _back in the Fireworks Factory, and don't even get me STARTED on how bad the rhynoc problem got on the island! Anyway, Sheriff Wyatt gave me the low-down on what's going on with these dinos - definitely explains what the guy with the keys is doin' INSIDE the cage - and Mr. Laser Blaster ain't a fan of the idea that these guys got their own guns goin' on, so-"

The fast-talker finally paused, looking up to the rooftops and sniping a TNT-Rex before it bombarded the unsuspecting heroes with a stick of dynamite. "So come on, boys! Let's get dino-wranglin'! I'm itchin' ta show these cowpokes who's the REAL gunslinger of Midnight Mountain! Yeehaw!"

"See? Agent 9 can play along," Spyro laughed, rushing off alongside his newest simian ally to wrangle the Bailey gang.

Agent 9 took the lead as the heroes rushed through the town, opening wild fire on anything that moved (and several things that didn't, as a series of windows were unfortunate enough to experience.) Spyro and Sparx took a sneakier approach to things; the dragon-brothers covered each other, walking back to back quietly and only striking out when a Bailey gang member attempted to sneak up on them.

"You better work on catching up, Spyro!" Agent 9 cackled, peeking out from around the corner to snipe another TNT-Rex just as it was about to catch his dragon-ally off guard. "I'm already up ten dinosaurs! How many do you have down?"

Spyro spit out the mangled rock he was chewing to use as a projectile (unable to wield a weapon like his bipedal companions). "What, you're counting?"

"Yeah, you don't?"

"I don't. What, are we turning this into a game now?"

"A game? Ooh, I love games! Especially ones that involve shooting things! Let's do it, come on, it'll be fun!"

"Alright, first to-"

_RRRRAWR! _Before the rules of their competition could be set, Spyro and Agent 9 were momentarily stunned when the growl of a Gun-Totin' T-Rex snuck up on them, spinning his pistols before pointing one at each of their heads, laughing deeply at the look of shock and fear on their faces.

Its claws grazed the triggers before Agent 9 could even lift his blaster, and Spyro couldn't find the air to send a jet of flame to do the job instead. In that moment, all they could do was brace themselves for the ringing gunshots as the Bailey gang struck back.

_WHACK! _Instead, the T-Rex fell to the might of an arrow from above. Looking around, the would-be victims spotted Hunter on the rooftops, wearing Spyro's dismissed Stetson as his own, bow nocked and ready to strike down on another Bailey gang dino. "Come on, guys! Be a bit more careful! That guy almost had you!"

Spyro and Agent 9 broke into a brief moment of disparity; Hunter was right, there was no time to waste on silly games when there were worlds to save and eggs to rescue. But before long, the cheetah shot down on another charging dino, causing it to drop next to its recently-fallen companion:

"So what did we say we were playing to again? That'll make six for me!"

* * *

><p><em>Writing for Agent 9 is absurdly fun, if you guys couldn't tell. XD Just wish he didn't premiere in the usually-bad final area and got some quality levels. Anyway, we'll be recovering from this detour next week with real storyline and real pacing that doesn't involve crazy long and short chapters. Hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading!<br>_


	48. Dark Magic and Shiny Things

**CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT: Dark Magic and Shiny Things**

Spyro couldn't help but shudder as they ventured into the Crystal Islands. Everything about it was eerily familiar to his least-favorite of the Dragon Realms, from the odd flows of uncontrolled magic in the air to the bright, jagged colors of crystal that shot out into the night sky. He had to pause every so often, certain that he heard the yipping of a fool around the corner. But these were once Dragon Realms, too - it just happened to be obvious where the ancient Dream Weavers once called home.

The locals, for once, weren't incredibly happy to see their dragon savior drop in from the portal. Instead, the "Marvelous Magnifico" seemed a bit frightened about his appearance, shaking with nerves and panic as he explained the situation. The crystal creatures were NOT natives, as Spyro's experiences in the Dream Weavers led him to assume, but rather a mystical mistake. Like Bianca's disasters he and Hunter saw back in the Midday Garden, the local wizards weren't particularly good at gemcrafting. But they heard that the dragon was in the area, preparing to take on the vicious Sorceress in battle, so they tried to help. They snuck into her castle and swiped as many of the ancient dragon tomes as they could get their paws on.

And instead of turning the local gems into friendly foot-soldiers, the dragon treasure morphed into a series of evil crystal tree-demons and evil crystal bears. And beavers, though Spyro couldn't quite put a claw on how THAT happened.

So Spyro set out on his quest to clear out the Crystal Islands, fighting off evil flying beavers and getting nothing but cheap magic tricks in return for his heroism. (Though he did get a satisfying chance to knock Moneybags into an octopus-infested crystal lake, which was worth all of the bad magic tricks in the world.)

Since the Crystal Islands were so broken up, only Spyro could work his way through the entire archipelago, and even then, only with the aid of a superfly power-up. With him busy exploring the great peaks of the Crystal Mountains, and Bentley busy taking up a 'prestidigitation' act by his old friend, the Great Randini, it left too many heroes with not enough ground to cover.

So Bianca decided to give Hunter a tour of her old home.

"Really? You used to live here?"

"Before I was chosen to apprentice under the Sorceress, yeah. The Crystal Islands are the only place left in the Forgotten Worlds that still really practice magic, unless you count the fairies." The apprentice smirked. "What, you thought I lived in a big, spooky castle at the top of an evil mountain or something?"

"When we first got here, probably," Hunter laughed. He stopped to admire the sparkling atmosphere as Bianca summoned a trio of floating gems to take them across one of the many unbridged chasms of the Crystal Islands. "It's nice here, though. Reminds me a little of the race-course in the Magic Crafters."

"You?" Bianca echoed, raising an eyebrow. "You've been to a dragon speedway?"

"Yeah, and I'm pretty good at 'em, too," Hunter bragged, casually brushing dust off his shoulder. "Spyro and I are the fastest racers this side of Avalar."

"Don't you need wings to fly in a dragon speedway?" Though races weren't exactly her cup of tea, Bianca had passing familiarity with the various speedways of the ancient dragon realms. Designed to train the dragonlets in flight (while still giving the full-growns something to do), she couldn't imagine how a ground creature could traverse them, much less be the racer Hunter claimed.

"Yeah, and?" Hunter countered. "I can get around it. I've got planes, jetpacks, boats...even got a pair of wings I built myself, Miss Know-it-all," he teased, playfully messing up her ears as he hopped past her on the makeshift gem bridge.

"So you're a world-class racer AND you're smarter than you look?" Bianca laughed, straightening her ears before joining Hunter on the other side.

"As a matter of fact, I am," Hunter replied sassily. "I happen to be pretty handy with a wrench and a motor."

"And you're modest, too, I see."

"Why does everyone always make that joke?"

Bianca carefully avoided that question, instead returning to another point Hunter made in his showing off. "So you're from Avalar, huh?"

"You've heard of it?"

"Only a little. It was still kind of a new thing a thousand years ago, and...well, you know, we haven't exactly been a part of the world since the dragons left. What's it like there?"

"Nice enough, just nowhere as nice as here or the Dragon Realms. When they're not being overrun by evil sorcerers and sorceresses, anyway."

Bianca fought to cover a blush slightly as a thought came to her mind. "Maybe, uhm...after all this is said and done and the Dragon Festival's over, I can come visit?"

"Who says you have to wait until AFTER the Dragon Festival?" Hunter offered. "I mean, I don't think they're having it without us, so...you could come for that and come visit Avalar after?" He stopped to chuckle at a thought. "If we don't all go to Dragon Shores afterwards. I've been pushing to make that our post-baddie invasion tradition."

"You really think they're gonna let the girl who stole all the dragon eggs just walk into the Dragon Festival?" Bianca pointed out.

"No, of course not." Hunter traced a claw under Bianca's chin, lifting her head so their eyes could meet. "But you're not the crazy sorceress that stole all the dragon eggs. You're the cute apprentice helping us get them all back now, right?"

"Right," Bianca blushed with a nervous laugh, almost cursing herself for being such a typical girl as she turned from him and resumed their ascent to the Crystal Watchtower. Being the Sorceress' apprentice was heavy work, and she never had time for socialization, much less anything involving boys. After so many years of hiding under her hood and just being "the sorceress' apprentice", it was an odd change of pace to be treated like a person (and a cute one, at that)...odd, but nothing she couldn't get used to.

Hunter, on the other hand, was a flirt by nature. (Though he definitely had a thing for pretty and smart, which Bianca easily delivered.) He was just taking advantage of the fact that Bianca was the first girl in a long time not to throw a drink at him. "Besides, I could use a date," he joked. "Spyro's busy enough, being a dragon and all, and then he's probably gonna get cozy with Elora and all, so it'd be nice to not feel like the third wheel."

"Spyro doesn't strike me as the type to have a girlfriend."

"Don't worry, Spyro doesn't think so, either."

Finally, they reached their destination. Bianca took a seat under the outcrop that shadowed over the watchtower, motioning for Hunter to join her. "This is one of the highest points in the Crystal Islands. One that you can reach without flying, anyway. It's the best spot to get a view of everything."

Hunter, who happened to be examining an entirely different view, turned his eyes to the stars before he was noticed. "No kidding. Feels like the stars just go on forever here."

"I used to come up here with my old legend books and read under the stars," Bianca sighed, reminiscing on her memories atop the old watchtower. "I'd sit right in this spot and read about the dragons, thinking about what the Crystal Islands looked like when they were here, daydreaming about them soaring around in the stars, doing REAL magic that isn't just the cheap tricks the locals do."

"Who knows?" Hunter answered. "Maybe they'll come back after we kick out the Sorceress, and you'll get to see it."

When silence fell over their conversation, the pair seemed perfectly content with sitting and taking a long-awaited break. Bianca curled up into Hunter's side as the archer pulled her in close, and they moved in closer and closer, with no one but the glittering stars and crystals of the Islands to see them-

_BONK! _Bianca cried out as the blunt force of a falling dragon egg smashed her between the ears, destroying the moment for good. "OW! What the?!"

"Sorry, just reminding you guys we got dragon eggs to find and a Sorceress to take out!" Spyro laughed from up above, managing to catch an updraft of enchanted wind and soar off before Bianca and Hunter could react to his presence.

Bianca rubbed the tender bruise now forming on her head. "I get the feeling Spyro still doesn't like me very much," she groaned.

"Nah, he's warming up to ya," Hunter said, (stifling a laugh the best he could; it _was_ pretty funny, he had to admit).

"How do you know?"

"If he still hated you, he would've dropped something a LOT heavier."

oo00oo00oo

_I am a vessel without hinges, lock or lid  
>But within my walls, a golden treasure is hid.<em>

Spyro's mind grinded as it struggled to make any sense of the gravekeeper's game. (Puzzles, he could figure out with enough time to wrap his head around it. Riddles were far from his forte; too much thinking, not enough hitting things.) The gravekeepers were perhaps an even bigger trouble than the rhynocs; they weren't about to give the eggs over to the Sorceress, but nor were they eager to return them to Spyro. Their eggs were reserved for true champions of the tomb, only those who could manipulate its trials and live to tell the tale.

Also, they liked telling riddles.

"Well, golden treasure, right?" he said aloud, hoping to bounce ideas off of his dragonfly. "So it's got to be, like, a safe or a chest, right?"

"Except those have hinges and locks, Spy," Sparx buzzed flatly.

"So what kind of chest doesn't have a lock?"

"One that's not going to have a treasure in it for long."

"That's what I'm thinking; who locks up a treasure without actually using a lock?"

Both dragon and dragonfly froze as the catacombs began to shake, with a familiar roar echoing through its ancient corridors. "Uhm...maybe we should work on this riddle thing later," Sparx buzzed.

Spyro frowned, trying to place the familiar call. "I've heard that growl before. But where? Doesn't sound like anything else in the Forgotten-"

_BOOM! _The Artisan just barely ducked in time, narrowly avoiding a smoldering magma rock as it flew straight for his head. The duo turned the corner to find their roaring suspect, a hefty Earthshaper that shook the catacombs with every one of his thunderous steps. While these were slightly smaller than the ones they found running amok in the Autumn Plains, it didn't make them any less daunting. They still stood much taller than Spyro, and were crafted from the same dense, heavy clay that made them too heavy to charge down and not flammable enough to flame.

"What's an Earthshaper doing down here?" Spyro jumped.

Sparx shoved Spyro out of the way, helping him avoid another hurling rock. "Less questions, more Earthshaper smashing, 'kay?"

"Easier said than done," Spyro groaned, keeping a careful eye on the Earthshaper so that he could think back to his trip through Avalar. The Earthshapers in Fracture Hills, he could take out by shoving them off the cliffs and into their own magma pools, but they were deep underground in the ancient dragon tombs; he wasn't expecting to find much lava down here. The ones in Magma Cone didn't care to hang around convenient death-pools either, but that's why he had the local fauns, hiding around every corner with giant boulders and jackhammers. Even in the Fracture Hills, he had Hunter's help from above with a quiver of arrows. He just needed another friend in high places, someone that could hide out and fire-

_PEWPEWPEW! _The Earthshaper exploded into a shower of debris.

"I need to ask for stuff like that more often," Spyro whistled to himself.

Agent 9 slid down from the upper catacombs, blowing the smoke off of his laser. "Hey-ya, Spyro! Fancy runnin' inta you here! Well, I mean, guess you wouldn't REALLY want to find your new dragon buddy down in the depths of the dragon GRAVEYARDS, but hey, you know what I mean. Say, how goes the egg-hunting? I hear some of those gravekeepers have some of the eggs around here, but man, those riddles can be a brain-buster, am I right?"

"Yeah, no kidding," Spyro said with a groan and an eye-roll. "So what are you doing?"

"Oh, me?" Agent 9 giggled nervously. "Oh, y'know, just takin' a stroll through the catacombs, playin' 20 Questions with the gravekeepers, just typical-A-YEEP!"

The hyperactive chimp jumped with a yelp, turning around and blasting behind him. "You alright, 9?" Spyro asked.

"Oh, I'm fine, just peachy!" Agent 9 laughed, trying to hide his target from view. "Sorry, Mr. Laser Blaster thought he heard a noise, and you know how Mr. Laser Blaster likes to shoot 'em up first and ask questions, never, right?"

_HISSSSSSSSSS! _Spyro jumped back as what looked like a green, hooded Agent 9's tail shot out from behind him, wriggling like a cobra as it reared back and flashed its newly-grown fangs. "Hey! Bad tail, down!" Agent 9 snapped, firing another shot and crying out as he took the damage from his own gun.

"Why is your tail a snake?!" Spyro jumped.

"What, that ol' thing?" Agent 9 laughed nervously, dropping his squirming snake-tail and grinding its hood under his foot. "Yea~ah, funny story about that! You know, these gravekeepers aren't the friendliest little things, even though you'd THINK it's hard to be sneaky with those giant funny gold hats of theirs, right? Anyway, I'm just mindin' my own business, and WHAM! One sneaks up behind me! I think he's a rhynoc, right, so BAM!, Mr. Laser Blaster took care of that re~al quick! Well, Mr. Funny Hat didn't like being blasted in the butt, so he put this curse on me and-"

A scream interrupted his story when the tail-cobra sprang to life once more, digging its fangs into his foot. Spyro blasted the rogue curse with his flame-breath, causing it to lay down once more (though Agent 9's foot was collateral damage). "Yeah, nice story, give me the quick version."

"Funny hats, curse, tail, snake, 5 Trials of Death, I gotta go, see ya!" Agent 9 yelped, running off into the catacombs with his hissing, writhing snake-tail behind him.

"Seriously, I think we should've left him in the cage," Sparx buzzed.

"Ah, he'll be fine," Spyro laughed. "Come on, let's go. I want to ride that giant slide up there, but first we have to find the rest of the dragon e-"

The purple dragon stumbled over his own paws, skidding to a halt. "What?"

"Sparx, that's it!" he gasped. "Eggshells are a container without a door or a lock, and what's inside of an egg? A golden yolk! The answer to the riddle is an egg!"

oo00oo00oo

Once Agent 9 braved the five deadly trials of King Rover and had his tail-curse removed, he rushed out of the catacombs before anyone ELSE could turn his tail into a reptile, meeting Spyro, Hunter, and Bianca back at the entrance to the Sorceress' castle. "Your tail's looking better, 9," Spyro laughed.

"Yeah, and it only took me fighting through FIVE TRIALS of snakes and mummies to get fixed," the chimp grumbled, meticulously petting his tail (and making sure the fur wouldn't turn back into scales). "Not to mention another one of those stupid riddles; took me an HOUR to figure out, and I only got it 'cause I started pacing around and still had soot all over my shoes from the tank-off. Stupid footprints."

"Is that it, then?" Bianca asked. "Are we ready?"

"We're ready if you are," Spyro answered, sharpening his claws on the marble of the Midnight walkways. "Let's go show that Sorceress what for."

* * *

><p><em>Uh-oh, sounds like go time. D: Thanks for reading, guys, hope you enjoyed! Make sure to turn in next week when all of the cool fight scenes happen! I promise my final fight's way cooler than either of the lame ones we got in the game! :D<br>_


	49. Race to Midnight Mountain

**CHAPTER FORTY-NINE: Race to Midnight Mountain**

The Sorceress paced uneasily, her heavy footsteps shaking the central arena where she gathered her personal army. Dragon eggs were vanishing from Midnight Mountain left and right, her tomes were missing, thieves were running rampant, she couldn't find Bianca, and to make all matters worse, someone was trying to penetrate the magical lock she put on the castle entrance.

"Where did it all go wrong?! I don't understand!" she fumed, flailing her staff and sending most of her staff cowering at the sight of it. (Nobody was willing to step up and be her NEXT gemcrafting pet.) "I planned everything so carefully! How hard could it be to kidnap _**dragon eggs?! **_The bloody things don't even MOVE, and all of my finest rhynocs can't keep ONE of them in the Forgotten Worlds?!"

She reached into her cloak, pulling out her prize; one of the last dragon eggs that hadn't been reclaimed by that vile dragon and his annoying friends. She gave it a gentle pet, admiring her royal reflection in the glimmering sheen of its glossy shell. It pulsed with magical energies, even more than the rest of the eggs, which is why she pulled it from the bunch before the Midnight Mountain eggs were scattered. If she could just deal with the dragon, this egg would make a lovely new scepter.

"At least I still have you, my precious," she purred.

"Actually, I'm not so sure about that one."

The Sorceress screeched at the sound of that horrendous voice, stowing her egg and waving her staff. "WHO LET THOSE BRATS IN?! WHO BROKE DOWN THE GATE?! WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU IDIOTS WAITING FOR?! KILL THEM, KILL THEM, _**KILL THEM**_!"

"Everyone split up!" Spyro called out to his group. Following orders, the team dispersed into the oncoming waves of rhynocs that rushed out, decked out in hefty Midnight armor and ready to defend their queen (and not suffer the consequences otherwise).

Hunter and Agent 9 took to the skies in a "borrowed" space-saucer, followed closely by Sergeant Byrd, circling the arena from above and spreading fire on the Sorceress' troops below. Byrd stuck to cluster-bombing the entrances while Hunter took a more refined approach, arrow-sniping any rhynoc who slipped by the ground defense and got too close to Spyro. (Or Bianca, but he was trying to look out for Spyro, really. Unless there was a really good chance for a dramatic shot that'd make him look good, he didn't pass up any of those.)

Agent 9, of course, ballistically fired at most anything that moved, but at least 99% of his targets were rhynocs.

Bentley and Sheila teamed up on the ground. Like many of the other arenas they fought in during their time in the Forgotten Worlds, this one was also encased in a lake of toxic ooze. (Apparantly, the Sorceress had a thing for brightly-colored acids.) Bentley played bodyguard to an extent, fighting off the oncoming hordes of rhynocs as they poured out from all of the entryways. With mighty swings of his club, the yeti bashed rhynocs left and right, sending most of them toppling to a toxic oozy death. Those that didn't quite reach the edges of the arena via Bentley found themselves foot-to-face with Sheila, who circled the arena with bounding fury, punting off any of the stragglers that still tried to cling to the edges and return to the battle.

Spyro, always ready to find use for his smaller size, stayed low, effortlessly ducking around and under the rhynoc stampedes. He wasn't about to waste time on the footsoldiers: he was after the Sorceress herself. But big, loud, and scaly as she was, she seemed to disappear in the crowds. "I don't get it, where is she?"

"RIGHT HERE, DRAGON!" _Wham! _Spyro let out an anguished yell as the Sorceress planted her staff directly into one of his wings, cracking the delicate bone and muscle as she ground it into the floor. He scrambled to get back to his feet, anything to put distance between them so he could regain the upper hand, but it was no use: he was pinned.

"You've done enough damage for one lifetime, dragon!" she growled, exchanging her staff for her foot so she could wield the weapon properly once more. "I should've finished you off myself the first time. Now's the time I make up for my mistake!"

She held the glowing staff up high, coloring the battlefield with its dark, pulsing magic. "Don't worry, I'll be taking GOOD care of the dragon eggs for you!" she sneered. "_Fyiearan fhretah gral-_"

"Hey!" _BAM! _The Sorceress stumbled as she was hit with a shimmering ball of light; not a powerful-enough attack to do any damage besides a minor headache, but still just enough of a distraction to let the dragon slip out from under her grasp. "Why don't you try playing fair for once, you old hag?!" Bianca snapped, charging more magic in her hands with a few elaborate gestures.

"Bianca!" The Sorceress snarled, tightening her grip on her staff. "Stupid girl, I should've guessed! All of my years teaching you how to USE those flashy tricks you worthless islanders call magic, and THIS is how you thank me?!"

"No, you're right: thanks for LYING to me and USING me all these years!" Bianca snapped back, firing a few more shots.

The Sorceress held her staff high, deflecting Bianca's magic with an odd kind of force field. "If that's how you're going to be, then fine! Time I reminded you who's the REAL sorceress on this mountain!"

With a mighty push, the Sorceress' force field went flying, knocking over a row of rhynocs before blowing Bianca back alongside them, sending all involved parties tumbling right to the edge of the arena. Before anyone could react and help her, the Sorceress struck again, twirling her staff in a large circle overhead, summoning an electrified storm cloud of sorts that sent huge balls of sparking energy flying out over the battlefield. Spyro and Sheila managed to duck out of the way, but Bentley was too large and her rhynocs were too stupid, so they suffered the casualties.

"Hey, crazy witch, what are you doing?!" Spyro shouted over the noise of the attacks. "You're aiming at me, not your own rhynocs!"

"I'll aim at whoever I want, dragon!" the Sorceress laughed, spinning her staff yet again. "If I can't even trust my own apprentice, then I may as well down the entire castle!"

Thick streams of magical fuchsia energy shot through the air, making a series of cracks in the grounds of the arena and bouncing violently off of every wall it could find. The arena crumbled and rumbled as the cracks took hold, shattering every which way until the pieces began to sink or split into the toxic sea.

Spyro saw what was happening and whistled sharply to their sky team. "Change of plans, guys! Get everyone out of here!"

"What about you?" Hunter asked as the saucer swooped by, Agent 9 blasting down a tower of rhynocs all clinging for dear life to a single sinking platform.

"Get everyone else first! I gotta finish this!" That was how Spyro worked; other peoples' safety was always the priority, but his own never seemed to matter. Understanding, Hunter gave a nod and took the controls from Agent 9 to go pick up Bianca, Sheila, and Bentley before the rest of the arena gave out.

Hopping from piece to piece, Spyro tried to make his way back towards the Sorceress, who was using her staff to rock the toxic waters below them, swallowing up platforms that were too small to fight the waves and toppling the ones that were. "I hope you can swim, dragon!" the Sorceress taunted. "It'll be more fun to watch the life being pulled out of you if you don't sink straight to the bottom! And it'll make it easier for my guards to pull out your body so I can grind up those delectable wings of yours!"

"I'll donate one if it'll make that face of yours less ugly!" Spyro teased. It wasn't a completely-false offer; his crushed wing couldn't do much beside lay limply at his side, but it still soaked up all of the splashes of toxic ooze, causing the broken muscles to twitch as the flesh burned up under its corrosive touch.

Finally, Spyro closed in on his target. The Sorceress kept a large piece of the arena to herself, giving her enough room to move comfortably and enough stability to not sink into the toxic lake. The Artisan called his jump and moved to join her, but was quickly attacked by a sparking fireball that forced him to roll out of the way and put more pressure on his battered wing.

"You really are as pesky as they say, aren't you, dragon?" the Sorceress hissed, swinging her staff and firing a barrage of magical attacks every moment Spyro dared to hold still. "That'll make ending your life all the sweeter!"

A sharp shot to the flimsy wing sent Spyro tumbling, and the Sorceress stormed over to him, her clunky strides causing their remaining chunk of platform to rock uncomfortably in the turbulent acid-waters. "What's that silly saying you dragons have?" the Sorceress asked with a sneer, once again smashing Spyro's wing under her foot. "Phactis dragonis or some nonsense? I don't remember. You'll have to ask your ancestors for me," she chuckled darkly, lifting her surging scepter for one final blow.

Spyro reared back and unleashed a wild breath of flame, sending the Sorceress stumbling as she fought to protect her face from the attack. With his wing free from her dead weight, he scrambled to his feet and tore the staff from her hand, tossing it to another of the nearby platforms - close enough to keep an eye on, but too far for the Sorceress to ever reach.

Stripped of her go-to weapon, the Sorceress' demeanor changed immediately. She put up her grubby hands in surrender, stepping back slowly as Spyro got back to his feet and started to approach. "N-Now, now, this is no time to be rash. L-Last I checked, dragons didn't fight unfair, right? Maybe we can talk this out? Strike a deal? I-I don't HAVE to kill the dragon eggs! Really! You're one of the level-headed dragons, ri-"

She gave an uncomfortable squeal when the acid began to lick at her ankles. The platform was sinking under her weight, meaning Spyro had her cornered at the edge.

"So that phrase you were looking for?" Spyro smirked, staring down his newest nemesis. "I think you were looking for _porro ago draconis_." He sharpened his claws on the platform, fire in his eyes and on his breath as he closed the gap between them.

"Long live the dragons."

_BAM! _With his horns bared, Spyro rammed forward, knocking her into her own vicious pool of ooze. The Sorceress shrieked in agony as the acid tore at her scales, causing her muscles to spasm and flail, irritating all of the wounds even worse. Spyro tried to look away, not wanting to watch her slow and painful demise, but had to turn around when she cried out, "Fine! But you're only leaving with 149 of them!"

The final dragon egg was sitting in her grubby claws. With her last breath, she threw it across the oozy arena, just before her arm was swallowed up by the noxious acid, leaving nothing but a trail of bubbles to show she was even there at all.

Spyro watched in horror as the dragon egg sailed into the sky. By this point, the arena was all but demolished, leaving no guarantee the egg would land anywhere safely. And he wasn't about to go through everything he had gone through to return to the Dragon Realms and have to explain to Nestor and Delbin that he was _missing _one.

Being careful to watch his step while keeping his eyes on the egg, the purple dragon rushed after it. With his wing still crippled from the Sorceress, he had to rely solely on his legs to jump from rock to rock, desperate to avoid the toxic goo but even more desperate to keep even with the rapidly-falling egg.

Finally, it sat low enough in the sky that Spyro could foresee its landing space: just shy of the entrance, straight into an empty field of ooze. So came the moment of truth, and Spyro had less than a moment to make his choice: did he skid to a halt and watch the egg be swallowed by the acid pool? Or did he jump after it and take the chance, risking his own hide in the process?

He didn't even have to think.

He jumped after it.

Bracing for impact, he reached out his paws and held tight onto the dragon egg, pounding his single wing to get as much distance as it would spare him. With his eyes shut tight, all he could do was wait to feel the acid under his feet, get as close as he could get and throw the dragon egg in a last-ditch effort to get it to safety.

But instead of the burning, agonizing acid, Spyro crash-landed on a platform of cooling marble, with the heat of the toxic ooze behind him. Despite it being way too far for him to jump, he had somehow safely made it to the entryway they first came in through, the one leading back to the newly-freed Midnight Mountain.

And when he looked down at the egg between his paws, he didn't find it. He found a similar shade of glittery white, but nowhere near as glossy. It was more scaly, really. Or rather, they. Four big, brown eyes that almost reflected the Magic Crafters lands they were so obviously from. Two pairs of shimmering wings with matching gold frills.

The firstborn of the new age of dragons. And they were twins.

* * *

><p><em>Yeah, how's that for a Sorceress fight? Well, we finally made it, guys - it's finale time next week on <em>Legacy_! Tune in next time to see the heartwarming conclusion of Spyro's biggest adventure ever! Hope you guys enjoyed; thanks for reading!_


	50. 117

**CHAPTER FIFTY: 117% **

_Spyro! You've just defeated the Sorceress, rescued the dragon eggs, and restored freedom to the lost dragon worlds! What are you going to do next, hmm? Perhaps a nice vacation in Dragon Shores?_

Spyro couldn't help but crack up laughing. Not laughing at Bob from the actual DNN was hard enough. This was impossible. "Very funny. You're a real comedian, Bentley."

Yes, our heroes finally made it home after their bout with the Sorceress, though of course Spyro and Hunter didn't return alone. The rest of the dragons were so grateful to everyone who pitched in to help that everyone was welcomed to join the Dragon Festival - Sheila, Byrd, Bentley, Agent 9, and yes, even Bianca. All of the eggs were returned, and peace in the dragon realms (ALL of the dragon realms) returned after a thousand years.

So Bentley decided to have a little fun.

"Well, maybe we'll hit Dragon Shores after the Dragon Festival," the purple dragon laughed. (He was particularly excited about racing coasters with Agent 9 and going to the shooting ranges with the Byrd.) "I still want to make sure the lost worlds are okay and can finish cleaning up." He rolled his eyes. "I mean, Hunter's supposed to be helping me, but I haven't seen him since we got back."

The thought now back on his mind, Spyro asked, "You haven't seen him, have you, Bent?"

Bentley stammered for a bit, not quite sure how to answer, which was certainly odd for the over-eloquent yeti. "Oh, who, me? No, no, I'm quite afraid I haven't," Bentley replied with a nervous laugh. "However, if I do happen to encounter him, I will most certainly inform you immediately."

oo00oo00oo

Spyro may have been Hunter-less, but that didn't mean ALL of Avalar was sitting around, waiting to be found. The Artisan was actually quite surprised: he was sent back to Midnight Mountain to explore for any portals that could link the Dragon Realms back up to their ancestral land, and happened to find the Professor fiddling with a portal in Agent 9's Lab.

"Professor? What are you doing here?" he asked, approaching the old mole. "How'd you even _get_ here?" He cracked a smile. "And please don't tell me you're trying to summon a dragon."

"Not this time, Spyro," the Professor laughed. "This is an older portal of mine, back when I was a younger mole. Better built for, well, building things, you understand. Even before our situation with Ripto, I was still interested in the idea of reaching out to the dragon worlds, but...well, I purchased a book on dragon geography from the Shady Oasis, and the coordinates brought me here instead." He adjusted his glasses with a sour frown. "I guess the tables were a touch out of date."

Spyro stifled a laugh. "By a thousand years?"

"...That would explain why the book was so cheap."

"So you didn't find dragons and decided to settle down anyway?"

"Indeed. There were still enough traces of dragon here to make the study worth my time. I'm sure now that you've run the gauntlet of the realms, you recognize my design for the powerup towers from Avalar."

"And you found us, right, Professor?" Agent 9 interjected, popping up from behind the Professor's console. "Huh, right? You couldn't leave after seeing our cute, cuddly little monkey-faces, right?"

The Professor smiled, scratching the gun-crazed chimp just behind his ear. "That's right, Agent 9."

"This explains so much," Sparx buzzed.

"Oh, Spyro, speaking of Avalar!" the Professor jumped. "I just remembered. Elora says hello, and wanted me to tell you to meet her as soon as the Dragon Festival starts."

Spyro groaned, putting a paw to his snout. Right, Elora. In all of the chaos of fighting the Sorceress and finding the dragon eggs, he had completely forgotten that this mess was spoiling her big trip to the realms for the Dragon Festival. "Right. I'll do that, soon as I finish checking in on the rest of the realms. And finding Hunter, WHEREVER he's hiding."

"You say something about Hunter there, Spyro?" Agent 9 jumped in. "Hey, why didn't you just say so, buddy? I saw him a while back sneaking off with-"

"Agent 9?" the Professor interrupted. "D-Do you see a _rhynoc _over in those trees over there?"

"RHYNOC?!" the spastic chimp exclaimed, running into the foliage with Mr. Laser Blaster charged and ready. "Where?! No rhynoc's gettin' into MY lab and gettin' away with it, no sir! You want a piece of me, rhynoc-boy?! I hope you saved room for dessert, 'cause I'm serving five courses of hot, steaming LASER, punk! Come on out, no fair hiding!"

While Agent 9 went on a mad hunt for "rhynocs", the Professor reclaimed the conversation. "Oh, I'm sure Hunter's in good hands," he said quickly.

"Huh?"

"Oh, goodness, I-I mean, I'm sure he'll turn up soon! You know how Hunter is, always...y'know, disappearing, going on adventures, hunting down sheep saucers, that kind of thing."

oo00oo00oo

So while the dragons prepared for the second coming of the Dragon Festival, Spyro and friends returned to the Forgotten Worlds to check on the locals and make sure they hadn't overlooked any lost treasure or anything else.

Or, rather, that's what everyone else was doing. Sheila had to make a detour to check on her brothers. And right now, they were in trouble.

"How many times do I have ta tell you three?!" she snapped, glowering down on the shaking goats as only a big sister could. "Don't - tease - the moose."

"It was Billy's idea!" Bobby cried out, cowering behind Pete.

"Jah, jah, Billy's idea!" Pete echoed, waiting for his chance to hide behind Bobby.

Sheila turned to the wriggling legs sticking out of the mountainside. "Billy, is 'at true?" She could hear his muffled response, but he was far too deep into the wall for her to make any of it out.

"Do your brothers do this stuff for fun?" Spyro laughed, deciding to check in on Sheila as she checked in on the triplets.

"Unfortunately, yes," she sighed, letting Bobby and Pete get to work digging out their brother. "Ah, they're a total mess, but I love 'em. Great ta see ya, Spyro, but what brings ya?"

Spyro groaned. "I have been looking for Hunter ALL - DAY. I can't find him ANYWHERE. Have you seen him?"

Sheila stifled a giggle. "Sorry, Spyro. I seen him, alright, but Hunter made me promise not to tell ya where they went. Probably figured you'd be mad at 'em playin' hooky or whatnot."

Spyro heard all he needed to hear. "_They?_"

"Uh-oh, sounds like I've said too much," she giggled. "Ya didn' hear it from me, 'kay, Spyro? Wish I could join the search party, but I gotta dig Billy outta this wall first. Later!"

Spyro groaned. If Sheila's tip-off meant what he thought it meant, this could only end badly. "Oh, no. No, no, no, please, no."

oo00oo00oo

With the lost worlds free from the Sorceress, what better way to celebrate than with a commemorative re-enactment of the infamous Fireworks Factory siege that led to the arrest of the head of the Hummingbird Resistance Corps and one escaped experiment from the Midnight Mountain labs? On the inside of this historic night, it was absolute chaos. Rockets flew every which way, with ninjas prowling through the cover of smoke. Things blew up, people were hurt, and resistance members were bonked with quarterstaffs.

On the outside, though, it just looked like a fantastic fireworks spectacle. And that's the part Byrd and the hummingbirds were out to recreate. As sort of a prelude to the Dragon Festival, the Fireworks Fantastic was a night of excitement and amazement for all of the lost realms to watch and enjoy.

Including a certain apprentice and an imported archer, who had one of the best seats atop the Factory bridge.

"I never thought I'd actually get to see a fireworks show at the Factory," Bianca giggled, brushing back one of her ears.

"I never thought I'd actually get to watch something like this with you," Hunter admitted, taking her paw in his.

"I never thought I'd have someone like you to watch it with in the first place."

Hunter dropped her paw in favor of wrapping an arm around her to pull her close. Bianca took it one step further and pulled her own arm up around his shoulder, pulling them even closer. With the crackling colors warming the sky and the light of the Factory moon shining down, it almost recreated their perfect moment from the Crystal Islands.

Except this time, they got their kiss.

Spyro, down on the ground getting a wider picture of the show, gagged in disgust at the sight of their two silhouettes becoming one. "Ugh. It's a sad sight, Sparx: another noble warrior falls victim to the plague of love." Sparx, who was absolutely not waiting for his chance to buzz off and meet with Zoe, who had a picnic set up for them in Charmed Ridge, buzzed righteously in agreement.

The Artisan nodded back towards the portal. "Come on, Sparx; looks like we'll have to catch up with Hunter later."

Spyro and Sparx turned to leave and resume their double-back through the lost worlds, but the purple dragon stopped after getting a gentle hoof to the side. He stopped and looked up finding a familiar red-headed goat girl that he hadn't seen in quite some time. "Elora? What're you doing here?"

"I figured someone would spill the secret and you'd storm in looking for Hunter eventually," she laughed, taking a seat on the grassy plains and offering Spyro to join her. "There's a show going on, you know. Where are you heading?"

"I have to finish checking up on the rest of the worlds and making sure-"

Elora interrupted with a brush of her hand. "And you say I'm the worrywart? Spyro, you did it - you beat the bad guy, you found all of the eggs, everything's fine." Once again, she motioned for him to sit. "Take a break, would ya? Let's watch the show."

Spyro sighed sharply. Every adventurous bone in his body was demanding that he go be the hero, that his job wasn't done until EVERYONE was on the road to recovery and the Dragon Festival was back underway. But on the other hand, every tired muscle supporting those bones was hungry for a break, especially his throbbing wing that hadn't fully recovered. He had spent nearly a week hunting for the dragon eggs, only resting when it became too dark to see and snapping awake at the crack of dawn.

...And on top of that, it was hard to say no to Elora. He promised her a spectacle, an amazing week of dragon festivities in the Artisans. And what did she get? Stood up, that's what she got. Told to sit in Avalar and not cause trouble while he and Hunter busted their backs to rescue the dragon eggs. He still owed her that promise, didn't he?

So with a second sigh, this one hinting at his exhaustion, Spyro laid down, resting his head in Elora's lap. "Alright, goat-girl, you win," he teased. "But only 'cause you asked."

oo00oo00oo

Hunter and Bianca came down to join them after the fireworks were all said and done, but by the time they got there, Spyro was fast asleep. (Only dragons who dared to brave a night in the Peacekeepers could sleep through a sky full of explosions.) Hunter volunteered to take Spyro back to Evening Lake, and nobody seemed to notice Sparx's disappearance to the Charmed Ridge, so Elora and Bianca finally had a moment to meet under the smoky Factory stars.

"So you're the one that's been keeping Spyro and Hunter out of trouble, huh?" Elora laughed.

"I tried. Towards the end, at least," Bianca answered nervously. "Hunter's told me plenty about you, so it's nice to finally meet you."

"Do I even want to know?"

"His words were 'total egghead with a temper'," Bianca recalled lightly, "but I think I'm starting to speak Hunter a little, so I take it that means you're smart and know how to rein him in."

"I try. Hunter and I have been hallmates in Summer Castle for I don't even know how long." She playfully raised an eyebrow. "Which might be why I'm not so sure what you see in him."

"I've been asking myself the same question," Bianca sighed with a laugh. "I've spent too long being serious, so his sense of humor's a nice change of pace. Or maybe I'm just the girl who's sappy for a Prince Charming to save the day, I don't know." The ex-apprentice shot her a look in return. "Not that you'd know about that, right?"

"Oh, stop it," Elora blushed with a brush of her hand. "Spyro and I aren't...I-I mean, I don't know any-"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to imply anything," Bianca laughed. "Hunter mentioned it, that's all. Seems like you like him, though."

"Call me a sap for Prince Charmings," the faun continued to blush. "B-But it's nothing, Spyro's not...I mean, I don't know if...I don't..."

She sighed sharply. What didn't she know? What _did _she know? She liked Spyro, that part was obvious to everyone that wasn't a teenage purple dragon. But Spyro didn't like her back. Or did he? Was he playing hard to get or sincerely not interested? Was he serious about being too busy for girls, or did he just not get it yet? And even if he were interested in girls, wouldn't he prefer a dragoness? Someone just as tough and adventurous as he was? With any girl in the globe willing to throw their hearts out for a hero, what would he see in some eggheaded faun from Avalar?

Bianca gave her a gentle shove to snap the faun back to reality. "He's just a kid," she reminded. "Give it time, he'll come around. Come on, we'd better head back to the Lake and make sure the boys aren't getting into more trouble."

oo00oo00oo

"What do you MEAN we're missing an egg?!"

"Did I stutter?!"

"How are we missing an egg?! I SWEAR we had 149 when we rushed the Sorceress, and Yin and Yang make 150!"

"Well, either you counted wrong or someone stole one, so we have to get looking!"

Moneybags gave a whistle, trying to ignore the obnoxious chatter floating around the Midnight Mountain. (He couldn't quite hear what was going on, but he also didn't particularly care to. Likely just Spyro and the bumbling cheetah on some sort of "adventure" or whatever nonsense.)

With the Sorceress - and his newest form of dragon income - gone, the posh bear had to come up with his newest scheme and quick. He tried his best to be an honorable businessman, but...well, one never leaves free money on the ground, now do they? And he found the ultimate deposit of gold sitting by the Sorceress' castle.

It was one of the elusive dragon eggs. Perhaps an extra of some sort, he didn't know. All he knew is that it was there, it was after Spyro went on his egg-tirade-thing, and he was a firm believer in the rule "finders keepers".

He was almost tempted to keep it, to be honest. Dragon eggs were a thing of beauty never before seen in Avalar. Their glossy shell, their shimmering sparkle, their warm and protective magic...it was no wonder they sold for small fortunes on the black market. He didn't deal with the thieves of Shady Oasis _frequently_, but he perused their goods from time to time. One day, one of them was making off with a dragon egg, and his heart nearly stopped at the price tag on it. For an egg! Apparantly, there was a large market for gourmet omelets or pet dragons somewhere, and now he intended to find it.

"So, uh. Whatcha got there?"

"A dragon egg, can you believe it?" Moneybags fawned, admiring his reflection in its shell. "Must be a thousand years old or something! Eh, probably some kind of dud. I found it just laying around, can you believe? Oh, I'm going to take it home to Avalar and sell it for a _fortune_! I could build a mansion out of the dragon treasure this little beauty is going to net me! Can you imagine-"

The bear froze as a hot, steaming blast of smoke hit him in the back, leaving an uncomfortable burning just above his tail. He hadn't listened closely to the voice that approached him, and now his heart was racing as he turned to find out.

Sharp horns pointed straight at him. Clouds of soot and smoke, like a fire just about to erupt. Claws digging into the dirt, ready to shred the first thing they could grab. Bared dragon fangs, grinding in anger and holding back an onslaught of flame. A pair of beaten gold wings that were ready to take off and chase him down. Steely blue eyes that burned like an unholy inferno. An aura of frustration, of disgust, of total and complete _hatred._

Spyro narrowed his glare, scratching hungrily at the dirt, like a bull just about to charge. "Start running."

oo00oo00oo

_And so, all was right with the not-forgotten-anymore worlds, perhaps for the first time in a thousand years. The Sorceress was gone, as were all of her rhynocs, allowing magical energies to start flowing through the worlds once more. True, they would need the dragons to return if the worlds were to continue prospering once more, but that would be decided later. For now, they would survive on the stores of energy "Her Majesty" was keeping cooped up in Midnight Mountain for herself._

_...Okay, not all of the rhynocs were gone. One stayed behind and actually made a wonderful career singing opera in the Cloud Spires._

_But the rest of the rhynocs were gone, meaning the local sports teams could prosper once more. Nancy won gold in her skating competition, and Ernest's flipper made a full recovery just in time for the cat hockey finals. The villagers of Sunny Villa and the gypsies of Enchanted Towers even pulled together a skating league. It was quickly taken over by the seals; who knew squids made such awesome skateboards?_

_The moles were still a problem in Crystal Islands (so said a nasty bump on Bentley's head), but other than that, order was on its way back. Deputy Holiday rounded up some thieves in the Dino Mines trying to break into the Sorceress' treasure vaults, and even though the Bailey gang was still at large, their only major target lately was - you guessed it - Moneybags._

_(And yeah, Hunter swore up and down that there was still a major problem with space-cows and sheep saucers, but nobody else really saw it.)_

_The bumbling cheetah tried his hand at dragon-sitting after the Festival, but taking care of a pile of baby Artisans isn't as easy as it sounds. Bianca took to it quite well, though, despite any earlier comments Spyro might've made out of spite. She was the one tasked with watching Yin and Yang (the twins that hatched early) during the Festival, and it actually earned her a new apprenticeship in the Magic Crafters - under the twins' grandfather, Elder Cosmo._

_As for Spyro and Elora? Well..._

oo00oo00oo

The lost worlds were saved. The dragon eggs were home. Spyro was savior of the dragon realms yet again. Moneybags was suffering from gouge marks, claw and teeth tears, third-degree burns, and retired to become a haiku poet. The Avalar trio was reunited, plus one rabbit sorceress-in-training.

And finally, after a long week, full of the dragon realm's biggest celebrations, the Dragon Festival had come to an end. The newest elders had been initiated, the newest full-growns became the new generation of leaders, the ex-first-ages took their first step towards adulthood, and best of all, all of the horrified parents were put at ease as they reunited with their precious eggs. The skies of the Artisans were alight with a multitude of colors, every grassy hill spilling over with fairy magic as the hatchlings burst out of their shells, ready to crawl into the open, loving arms of their guardians. All 150; not a single egg out of place.

But while all of the eggs were in place, not all of the dragons were. While Hunter and Bianca admired the scenery and Sparx helped Zoe and the rest of the fairies clean up, Elora found herself just a bit stranded in the still-unfamiliar land of the dragons.

None of the full-growns and elders could explain, only telling her that "he disappears a lot" and "he'll turn up eventually". The little brother she met at the start of this journey of the lost worlds, Flame, gave her much-more helpful advice: "Talk to Marco; he's the balloonist at the docks. If Spyro's not in the Artisans, Marco knows where he went."

The balloonist brought her out to the Dragon Junk Yards, where Spyro's first legendary battle took place. Little remained of the old scrap heap, as most of it was torn to shreds and rebuilt into the attractions at Dragon Shores.

But one portal stayed open, a dragon mouth propped up with a pair of handmade supports that looked welded by a fire-breath.

Inside, she found an odd sort of outcrop, grassy and breezy despite the peeling remains of what was once some kind of factory, or at least the beginnings of it. Putting her faun roots to work, Elora carefully made the climb up the jagged outcroppings, a task that'd be nearly impossible for anyone without sturdy climbing hooves. Seeing no sign of any missing dragons, she climbed all of the way to the top, where an old gate greeted her with a ring of keys hanging outside of it, like it was once locked and would never be locked again.

She made her way through the hall, careful not to let her hooves clang too loudly on the metal floors. Eventually, she reached a room, dark except for a few purple lights in the floor and three clumsy spotlights that hung from the ceiling.

On the furthest wall sat a portrait, a gigantic painting of a green goblin with a hammerstaff and gaudy armor. (What did the dragons call them? Gahnorcs or something?) A line of purple gems sat at the base of the portrait, as if in honor of or in tribute to the creature.

She didn't recognize that spotlight, but the next one was shockingly familiar. It was a podium dressed in a black cloth, which seated an old leather book and a sparkling green and gold ball. She stepped forward to examine it closer. Indeed, the tome was her old guidebook, the store-all map to Avalar that she had thrown at Spyro during their first meeting, right before asking him to drop his vacation plans and sacrifice his life to stop a dictator from harassing a group of strange kidnappers. And the sphere was one of the Avalar orbs; they told Spyro to keep one, just in case anything horrible happened again. (And to keep Hunter from accidentally summoning evil sorcerers in the first place.)

She smiled as all of the memories came back. She never thought to ask what Spyro did with her guidebook, even to the point of casually assuming he threw it out.

The third spotlight was empty, though there was more makeshift metalwork from the breath of a fire dragon burned into the wall. And shortly after she investigated it, a fire dragon entered the room to take credit for his work. "Elora, you've got to stop sneaking up on me like this," he teased.

"Oh, no, I wasn't trying to trespass or anything!" Elora assured nervously, hands in the air as a sign of surrender. "Sorry, Spyro, I just...y-you disappeared at the Festival and I didn't-"

"Delbin didn't send you, did he?" Spyro asked suspiciously, unloading the pack of metal from his back.

"No, why?"

"Good," he sighed. "The full-growns don't know about this place. I thought sneaking off while all of the family stuff was going on would be my best chance to come out for a few hours."

"Can I know about this place?" Elora asked playfully.

"I think it's too late for me to say no," Spyro laughed.

"So what is this place?"

"It used to be Gnasty's old lair, where he kept all of his personal treasure and all that," Spyro explained. He nodded towards the portrait in the back. "That's him back there. That ugly thing was there when I found the place."

"So he's 'evil sorcerer trying to take over the world' number one, right?"

"Exactly. But after I took him out, thieves took the place over and I had to clear them out. The Dream Weavers and Magic Crafters left explosives in here for me, so everyone thinks I just blew it up. I'm sure you saw how I had to jam the portal open, just so I could still get in here."

"So if you were supposed to blow it up, why'd you keep it?"

Spyro sighed, stopping to look at the mighty portrait once again. It was an odd piece to describe: it was beautifully done to be sure, but how beautiful can a picture be for capturing the slimy, rotten, smelly, gross nature of Gnasty Gnorc? "I'm still not really sure. This is my little treasure cove now. At the time, I didn't want to dishonor Gnasty, 'cause he's the one that gave me my first big adventure and kind of...I don't know, started all of this."

"What, opening your personal sorcerer elimination business?"

"It kind of helped me meet you, didn't it?"

Elora blushed. He had a point; the reason Spyro was so eager to take on their troubles with Ripto was because he DID have that experience with Gnasty. If they grabbed any other dragonlet, she'd be stranded in Riptonia. "Right."

"So this is kind of like my gallery now, like the living legend of Spyro the dragon," he continued with a laugh. "Gnasty's picture kind of set it off. I want to have a whole collection in here one day, just all kinds of trinkets and things from all of my adventures."

He motioned to the black cloth covering the pedestal. "I dunno if you could tell or not, but this is one of Ripto's cloaks. I found it while I was helping the Professor clean out the Winter Palace. Horrible fashion statement, but it makes a nice tablecloth."

"This is kind of cool, actually. Something you can show your own dragonpups one day, right?"

"Right." Realizing his answer, Spyro quickly shook his head. "I-I mean, not that I'm having kids or settling down or anything. Psht. I mean, hero stuff, too busy for that, right?"

Elora rolled her eyes; typical Spyro. "Right." Changing the topic, she turned to the final spotlight, which still shined down on nothing but a metal fixture on an empty wall. "So...what's going there?"

Spyro dug his snout through the scrap pile, coming up with a glittering golden staff. Its centerpiece resembled a dragon egg, but its color was much darker than the white ones she had been seeing around the Artisans during the festival. She didn't get to see any part of the adventure, but she could still put the pieces together. "Is that really-?"

"I found it in the wreckage of the arena," Spyro answered after setting the staff in its place. The fixture buckled under its weight slightly, so the Artisan heated a piece of scrap with his breath and jammed it into the wall for some extra support. "Yeah, that's really it."

"Is that really a dragon egg?"

"Unfortunately," Spyro sighed. "It's at least a thousand years old. She had it petrified so that she could use its magic forever. I already talked to Cosmo, and there's no unpetrifying it, so there's nothing anyone can do but make sure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands again."

While Spyro reinforced his newest addition, Elora continued to admire the gallery in wonder. Not only was it already so full of memories and adventures, but there was something else about the room. It could've been contributed to poor construction, but Elora knew Spyro was smarter than that.

The room was still empty. He was leaving space for more.

"Spyro, have I ever told you you're amazing?"

"Not that I can remember, but I don't mind hearing it more than once."

"Well...you are. We're all lucky to have someone like you around. Especially me."

"Well, uh...happy to be of service." With the staff firmly in place, Spyro shoved all of the spare scrap out the door and waved for Elora to follow. "Alright, I'm done. Come on, we'd better get back to the Artisans before the full-growns notice I'm gone and start asking questions."

"You still owe me a tour of the dragon realms, you know," Elora snapped playfully, suddenly reminded of the old promise Spyro made during their first trip to Dragon Shores.

"I told you I'm bad at keeping promises," Spyro laughed. "Look, we're all going to Dragon Shores after the Festival's over, how about I take you on the Tunnel of Love again and re-promise and we'll pretend the first one never happened, okay?"

"I thought you hated that ride."

"...W-Well, I do, don't get me wrong, I'm just saying. If you weren't such a girl, I'd promise you a tour on the coasters. Look, point is, you'll get your tour. We've got some time to kill before the dragonflies come, so that'll be perfect. If you don't mind the baby dragons everywhere."

"Wait, what happens when the dragonflies come?"

"Ah, I'll explain later. Come on, let's go!"

* * *

><p><em>We made it! And with that, Spyro's most iconic adventures come to a close. I want to thank all of you guys so much for hanging in and following this story through fifty chapters. (Seriously, it's a dumb amount of chapters, which makes you all that much more awesome.) And an extra thank-you to everyone who reviewed! :)<br>_

_Haven't had enough? A sequel's in the works! I'm about a quarter of the way through it, so keep an eye out for Lore in the coming months! I hope I'll see all of you there when it's finally complete and makes its way onto the site._

_Thanks again, guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and enjoyed following the story!_


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